


Starlight and Dragonfire (Hiatus)

by SkyRipper



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: AU, And Keep Only The Arcs, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Author likes to chat in the comments, BAMF Lucy, BAMF Lucy Heartfilia, But Also Everything, Celestial Spirit Keys, Celestial Spirits - Freeform, Disassociation, Draconis Keys, Dragon Slayers, Exceeds Act Like Cats, Gen, I REGRET NOTHING, I Tear Canon Apart, I promise, Lots of Angst, Lucy Isn't Entirely Useless, Mental Health Issues, More Celestial Spirit Keys, More Keys, Now with Discord, Oh God It's Such An AU, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platinum Keys, So Do The Dragon Slayers, Updates Sundays, and characters, but it gets better, gen - Freeform, no romantic relationships, oh my God there's so much angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:13:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 85,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23247580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyRipper/pseuds/SkyRipper
Summary: She had always been told stories of Dragons, of their Loyalty, Bravery, and Valour. Specifically, the ones about the Dragon Spirit; Draco, and his stars; the Draconis.They always had fascinated her, because they got up, no matter what, and because they protected what was theirs, like a true dragon. And she had wanted that, so desperately. Wanted that feeling of safety.Now that she had it, people were trying to take it away from her. Take them, away from her. And there was no way she was just going to roll over and let it happen.Like the old proverb said, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."Her name is Lucy Heartfilia, and she was going to protect what's hers.
Relationships: Celestial Spirits & Lucy Heartfilia, Lucy Heartfilia & Dragon Slayers, Lucy Heartfilia & Original Characters, Natsu Dragneel & Lucy Heartfilia, No Romantic Relationships - Relationship
Comments: 20
Kudos: 118





	1. Sigma Draconis

**Author's Note:**

> Also on FFN if you prefer to read it there; [Starlight and Dragonfire.](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13598902/1/Starlight-and-Dragonfire)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love constructive criticism! If I have a grammar error, or a plot hole I haven't noticed, please point it out to me. I'm not perfect, and I don't have a beta, so all feedback is appreciated, even if it's just a key-smash, your comments make my day!  
> (And sometimes... They'll motivate me to post earlier...)

Lucy was browsing through a small magic shop off to the side of the port in Hargeon, frustrated that she had seen no hide nor hair of any Zodiac keys for weeks now, and really, was it so much trouble to acquire a golden celestial spirit key? She thought not, but obviously, she was wrong. And when she asked the manager about his pitiful selection, all he said was " _Sorry Miss; I can't help you, that's all I've got. Now, if you aren't going to buy anything, would you please leave_.", Lucy couldn't believe the attitude of the guy.

That fortune-teller must've been a scammer, with all her " _You will find what you're looking for in the magic shop off the port of Hargeon_ ", and her " _May you find him at last_ ", who was the old crone talking about, she wasn't looking for anybody.

Lucy had one more magic shop to look through before calling this trip a loss, so when she entered the tiny shop nestled between a large café and an apartment block, she beelined towards the 'Magical Artifacts' section, not paying any attention to the owner. That was when she saw it, what she first thought was another silver key to come back to, had an unmistakable purple sheen at second glance.

The key was strange, most keys Lucy had seen were one solid colour, silver or gold, with the constellation detailed at the top. But this one was silver with green vine-like details, and there was no constellation design, and when she took it up to the owner to inquire about it, he said he had never seen it before and that she could have it if she bought another key or a book.

Lucy jumped at the deal, having spotted a book on the physical manifestations of magic and how to apply it, thinking if she could manifest her Celestial Spirit magic she could fight alongside her spirits. She didn't know if it was possible, seeing as there had never been rumours of a Celestial Spirit mage not using them as a shield let alone fight alongside them.

Exiting the shop with a thank-you to the owner, she heard the screams of girls of how " _Salamander's so cute_ ," and " _Ohmygod, he touched me_ ", and she decided to see what all the fuss was about and to see if he would put in a kind word for her at Fairy Tail.

Pushing her way through the crowd of swooning fangirls to get close enough to talk, she discovered that he didn't live up to rumours if that charm ring on him finger was any indication. But, she noticed too late, the magic did its work, turning her into a loyal fangirl.

When a pink-haired man shoulders his way past her, the rough jostle breaks the hold the magic had on her and her mind returns, but she doesn't remember how much time passed, but she thought it wouldn't have been too long, considering she's standing where she was before, and the sun hasn't moved much.

She realizes that the book she bought is still in her hand and as it goes to in her bag, she finds herself inviting the man out to lunch as a thank you for interrupting the magic that had a hold on her, not quite realizing how much he and his blue cat eat.

After they eat their fill, they ask if she is part of a guild because she is a mage if her keys were any indication, to which she responds with, "No, I'm not, but I want to join Fairy Tail". And the pinkette across from her shoots up in his seat and asks "Really? Fairy Tail?" Lucy instantly gains a suspicious look in her eye, asking "Why? What's wrong with Fairy Tail?", expecting him to try and dissuade her from joining 'Such a problematic guild' like the others she had told.

When he looks at her mischievously and proudly states "Because I'm a member", and shows her his Guild Mark, Lucy jumps out of her seat and nearly shakes him to death, while asking if he could put in a recommendation or something. Natsu goes green but gets out "I can do something better than putting in a recommendation, I can take you there and sign you up", they both nearly faint.

He drags her off at the first possible opportunity, almost making her run out without paying.

They stop at the big wooden double doors marking the entrance to the Guild she's been dreaming of, Lucy gazes up and around the hall, after Natsu kicks in the doors, yelling "Oi Mira, got a new one for 'ya!".

A fight nearly immediately starts up when the guild member who gave Natsu the information about the fake Salamander shouts that the phony information 'wasn't his fault' after Natsu had kicked him across the Guild Hall. During the chaos, Lucy makes her way over to Mirajane at the bar to get her Guild Mark, commenting "There's not a single sane person here, is there?" after the suddenly huge fist of the tiny man squashes Natsu suddenly up on the second level. She merely receives a no.

Arriving at the inn she was temporarily staying at; Lucy pulls out the unique key that was nearly forgotten about and searched her luggage for the book her mother gave her when she was little to help her learn the most common gate keys. Flipping right to the end of the book when the rest of it was no help; Lucy finds what she was looking for, the Draconis Keys.

_~ The Draconis Keys are different than the rest of the Celestial Spirit Keys, unlike in the way they represented different stars instead of a whole constellation, and when joined together, summoned a beast capable of destroying the world. ~_

The unique key with the vine etched into the platinum, warmed and hummed as she held it in her hand, and as she called out, "Rise, Sigma Draconis, and lend me your strength to vanquish those I call my enemies". The warm gold she associated with her spirits only with green vine-like tendrils weaving their way through the stars filled the room.

Out of the gold and green light, a pale man strode out, with brown hair that matched the colour of the form-fitting tunic with thick green borders he wore, and light grey pants with the same green detailing them with vines. She recognized the man from the book as Saol, the Life Draconis.

When Lucy asked, "What are your specialties, and are you willing to make a contract with me?", she didn't expect to see the serious-looking man fall at her feet wailing about how "It's been so, long since someone summoned me" or smirking at how he's "So going to rub this in that Kappa bastard's face".

As the man lay blubbering on the floor, Lucy slowly knelt next to him and pulled him into a sitting position against her chest and asked: "Hey, are you okay?". She didn't expect an answer from the still bawling man in front of her, so when in between sobs he gets out "It's just been so, long since someone picked me up, let alone summon me. All of my other potential summoners just thought I was a faulty silver key, and passed over me without a second glance." It was hard to understand, but she got the gist of his explanation.

He felt more than heard the soft intake of breath at his statement, and the softly asked question in his ear shocked him right down to his core, just two simple words, "How long?". No one had ever cared enough to ask him that, not even his fellow spirits, they were in the same boat as he was and didn't want to talk about it, it just made the air more depressing.

"762 Earthland years," Was his soft answer.

The gasp she took in was heard this time, as the words finally registered, she pulled him into a hug, slowly, to make sure she wasn't overstepping any boundaries.

When her arms finally embraced him, he froze, he didn't know what to do, no one had ever hugged him on their own before. Lucy stilled when he froze, had she done something wrong? She went to pull her arms back to her sides when a hand wrapped around her wrist, hesitantly she embraced him again, relaxing when he melted into her side with a sigh.

They didn't know how long they stayed like that, just enjoying the silence and comfort, when Lucy felt the telltale tug on her magic, telling her she was running out, so she reluctantly broke the silence to ask again, Would you be willing to make a contract with me?".

Saol nearly jumped for joy, even after he had dumped his tears and feelings on her, she still wanted to make a contract with him. So, he did the only reasonable thing to do in his situation, he tackled her in an excited frenzy, nearly deafening her with the number of squeals coming from him.

"So, I'll take that as a yes, shall I?" she asked in amusement.

And the resulting yes, did deafen her this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Saol  
> (Sah-oll)


	2. Epsilon Draconis

Making her way around her room at the inn, she went over the events of last night. Specifically, what Saol told her, about how he hadn't had a summoner in over 750 years. Lucy kept rolling it around in her head; she couldn't imagine it, being alone for that long without any contact with the outside world, without anyone to talk to.

"I wonder if the other Draconis Spirits feel that way, alone, and as if no one cares about them?" She mumbled to herself. "If Saol's reaction to being summoned is any basis, the others must do." It just wouldn't leave her alone, the memory of how upset the spirit was.

Her thoughts distracted her so much; she didn't notice the shower of gold and green sparkles until she rammed right into a lithe chest, almost sending her sprawling onto the ground, if not for the arm that snaked its way around her waist.

As she prepared to ask what the hell they were doing in her room, she recognized just who was before her. All thoughts of yelling at him, was sent flying out the mental window in favour of hugging him until he asked her: "Why are you hugging me?" in a soft, broken voice like he couldn't believe what was happening.

Lucy felt her heart, break a little bit more for the man, to sound so, confused, at a simple action like this, and she resolved to be affectionate and compliment him at every possible opportunity.

She keeps hugging him until his arms hesitantly wrap around her as well, and she doesn't know how long they stayed like that when the thought to ask why he was here finally flitted through her brain.

He answered with a chuckle, "Simply because I want to help, getting to see you again is a bonus though".

Saol hesitantly retracted from her embrace, asking, "Now, what can I do to help, Princess?".

"Well, I'm moving into the apartment I found, so if you want you could help me pack some boxes? If you don't want to do that, I haven't had breakfast yet?" She offered to him.

He smiled, a small, soft thing, instead of the blinding grin he wore yesterday when he popped in to say Hi and said: "I'm a pretty good cook if I do say so myself, and it's been forever since someone let me into a kitchen."

"Alright then, I'm looking forward to it," just as her stomach made its opinion known. Lucy flushed red at the noise and the knowing smirk on Saol's face.

When he turns around, Lucy makes a small, sad smile at his back, and she resolves to hug and praise him at every possible opportunity.

* * *

Natsu was making his way to his new favourite blonds place, ready to drag her down to Fairy Tail to introduce her to everybody, since she disappeared sometime during the brawl with his guildmate, Gray having joined in when he threw the poor sod into him. And when he asked Mira if she'd seen her, she merely hid a smile behind a dainty hand and giggled.

He had found the little inn after much frustration, the fish smell from the port muddling his senses to the point where he could only get the general area. And there were three different inns she could be residing in, two of them didn't even let him know if she was there or not.

Happy is hovering next to him, drooling a lake at the smell.

To make things worse there are three inns in the area, and two of them refused to tell him if she was staying there or not, so he had to bribe Happy to go up the stairs to see if Lucy was there.

As he made his way up the stairs, he heard a male and a scent he vaguely recognized but could not remember where for the life of him, when the voices suddenly cut off, and the smell disappeared.

* * *

In the middle of talking with Saol as he makes breakfast, he suddenly stops and goes stock-still. He continues talking, but his voice has lowered to a tone that makes her think he doesn't want anyone to overhear them and he says "There is someone I do not wish to meet right now, so If you could not summon me when he's around, it would be greatly appreciated. But, do not hesitate to summon me if you're in danger, I will always come when called." And then he disappears in a shower of gold and green glitter.

Minutes later, a knock sounded at her door, suspicious of who could cause that reaction with her spirit, she grabs Taurus's key from her belt.

She calls out for them to announce themselves, immediately relaxing when she heard Natsu and Happy's familiar voices sounding from behind the door.

He bounced into her room like an excited schoolgirl, all but dragging her out the door when he saw she was fully dressed and ready to go.

He didn't mention the voice he had heard, and she pretended she had been alone for the morning.

Lucy yelped as he grabbed her wrist, only just managing to snatch the rest of her keys of the table as she was pulled down the steps to the street.

She was just as excited to meet her guildmates as Natsu was, but she managed to restrain herself just enough to walk the street instead of running flat tack to the wooden double doors that were always open to everyone.

As the castle-like building came into view, her nerves hit her full force, 'What if they don't like me? What if they laugh at me for being too weak?' She thought. Natsu somehow managed to sense her feelings and dragged her past the threshold of the bar, passing the runes that block the noise coming from inside before she could chicken out and go home.

(They had to implement the runes after one too many noise complaints)

The cacophonous sound of yelling adults greeted her as she passed the runes to keep the loud noises of brawling and the heavy bass of music from annoying the neighbours. She followed Natsu to a red-headed female clad in armour, and a raven-haired male who was missing nearly all his clothes?

Natsu introduced the armour-wearing woman as Erza Scarlet and the exhibitionist as Gray Fullbuster.

She wandered off, after finishing their conversation, to meet her other guildmates, when she saw Gray leaning against a wooden pole. And he asked her - like one would comment about the weather - if he could have her panties because he was missing his.

She kicked him across the room with a scream.

* * *

A little while later, after she had been introduced to more frankly, insane people, Natsu approached her with two requests, the first, which was if she would join his team, and the second, if she would go on a mission to rescue someone called Macao. She readily agreed to both.

Natsu explains that he had overheard Macao's son, Romeo, talking to the Master about how he hadn't come home in a week and that he told Romeo to sit tight and wait at home for him.

Lucy arranges a wagon to take them up the mountain but greatly miscalculates how extreme Natsu's motion sickness was.

It cost her, her boots.

When the wagon stops and the driver explains to her that he is sorry, but he can't take them up any further, Natsu jumps out and would have hugged the ground if she hadn't grabbed the back of his waistcoat, stopping him from face-planting into the snow.

She leans in and breaths into his ear "You _will_ replace these boots, got it?" and lets him fall.

They set off up the mountain, but Natsu isn't sure where Macao is, and he says he can't smell him because the blizzard was messing with his nose.

Lucy jumps when a Vulcan appears out of nowhere and makes a run for it, with her in tow.

It takes her to a cave and starts to dance around her. But she's shivering from the cold too much to take notice.

Natsu eventually arrives with a pathetic entrance, slipping on the smooth ice of the floor and crashes into the opposite wall with a yell.

She giggles and makes her way over to him, to check to see if he's alright and to see if he could warm her up with his fire magic.

Summoning Taurus when she is sufficiently warm enough, and she asks him to attack the Vulcan with Natsu.

Taurus attacks it with his axe, and she watches as they defeat it with ease, knocking it into the same wall Natsu nearly broke. She watches as the hole deepens and eventually breaks, revealing another cavern behind it.

When she goes to investigate, gleaming silver and blue metal caught her eye. A miniature temple carved out of ice with exceptional care is tucked away in the corner.

She goes over to it, and gasps as she sees another Draconis Key frozen inside a statue of a woman carved out of ice. Lucy is so surprised at finding another Key, she doesn't notice Happy until he flies over to stand on her shoulder, and she jumps, punching him across the room into Natsu's arms.

 _'The Draconis Keys are supposed to be so rare; most mages think that they're just myths, and I manage to find two in just three days!?'_ She exclaims to herself.

* * *

Finally, safe in her room at the inn, Lucy pulls out the key to inspect it and to look through the book of Spirits her mother wrote for her. When she flips to the back of the book to find the section on Draconis Keys, she finds the Epsilon Draconis page, two pages after Saol's.

As she calls out the chant "Rise Epsilon Draconis and lend me the strength to vanquish those I call my enemies!", a soft blue light fills the room, golden particles spin around and condense into a tan woman with navy blue hair that faded to the colour of the sky.

The woman was wearing an outfit that reminded me of fire dancers, with gold bracelets and anklets with blue beads dangling off them, and a dark blue top with gold see-through fabric draping her waist. The same material but in blue fell off bands around her upper arms and the gold elastic border of her skirt.

Lucy recognized her as the woman the statue of ice depicted.

"My name is Lucy Heartfilia. Would you be willing to make a contract with me?"

The spirit smiled and signalled to say she was mute.

She gasped as she realized what the spirit was signalling. But before she could say anything, she felt the probing nudge of someone asking to make a telepathic bond with her.

 _"Hi Lucy, my name is Amanzi. I would love to make a contract with you."_ The soft lilt of her voice reminded her of her mothers.

_"Awesome, what days are you free and what times can I summon you,"_

She answered with a smile, _"Feel free to call on me anytime; I am always available to you. It's been so long since someone summoned me."_

Lucy's good mood dampened _"If you don't mind me asking, how long has it been?"_

Amanzi's eyes started watering at the question, and Lucy panicked, _"Oh Shit, forget I asked that. Of course, it's a sensitive topic, how stupid of me."_

The Water Draconis cut in before Lucy's rambling could get worse _"No dear, it's just that no one else has cared to ask, it threw me for a loop, is all."_

Lucy slumped into the chair behind her in relief _"Oh good; I thought I had upset you or something, I don't want my spirits to be sad, they mean the world to me."_

 _"Now, back to the question, how long has it been Amanzi?"_ She asked.

Amanzi sighed, how that worked when they were talking telepathically, she had no clue _"647 years dear, 647 long years."_

This time Lucy's eyes watered at the information, and she gasped _"Really? That long?"_

The spirit smiled sadly, and she jumped when Saol came through his gate.

Saol stood in shock.

"A- _Amanzi?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amanzi  
> (Ah-mahn-zie)
> 
> * * *


	3. Zivel

As Lucy thought over the events of the afternoon, Natsu was making his way over to her apartment, grinning like a loon, job in hand, ready to drag her to the guild.

* * *

**Flashback**

_"A-_ Amanzi? _" Saol stuttered out._

_He leapt past Lucy, who was beside him, to wrap his arms around his cousin._

_"I haven't seen you in centuries… You've been missing from the spirit world; no one knew where you were." He whispered._

_"_ 647 years, four months, and 23 days to be exact. _" She answered._

 _"_ I was imprisoned in an ice temple designed to keep a spirit trapped inside their key as a punishment by my previous summoner for failing to protect his daughter from a dark mage who also summoned spirits.

The wizard was after the keys he had given his daughter to run away with. The opposing mage had summoned the Sun Draconis; she had evaporated the water I was attacking her with and irradiated herself to poison his daughter.

After his daughter had fallen, he lost himself to grief, and in a fit of blind rage, imprisoned me in the ice for what was supposed to be an eternity, but then Lucy found me. And the seal on the cavern broke when her pink-haired friend flung the Vulcan into it.

But I still couldn't return to the spirit world; The seal had weakened me and spirits aren't meant to reside inside their keys for too long, that's why I'm here now, Lucy's magic will allow me to return when she closes my gate. _" She explained, but her tone wasn't bitter._

_"So, you're telling me that for the whole time you were imprisoned you were conscious and that your summoner sealed you for his mistake and he kept you out even when he saw that she was a terrible matchup for you!?" Lucy asked incredulously._

_They were shocked into silence at her words._

_Amanzi stared, wide-eyed at Lucy "_ It's not-, It's not my fault…? _"_

_"No. And don't ever tell yourself that again." She stated firmly._

* * *

Natsu raced his way past Lucy's grumpy landlady and shot up the stairs to her apartment door.

The job he had in his hand fluttered as the wind flew past him.

He bounced from one leg to the other, fidgeting as he tried to stay in place while Lucy opened the door. Happy hovering by his head, the tell-tale sounds of his Area magic softly playing in his ear.

When the door opened, he waited as she puttered around the kitchen, gathering everything she would need for a job.

They had done this enough times now that it was routine, he and Happy wait outside her apartment, she gets everything she needs, they take off to the train station, sometimes alone, sometimes with Gray and Erza, and she looks over the job on the way there while Natsu groans on the bench.

(His head was far away from her; she wasn't sacrificing anything else to his vomit.)

This time wasn't any different.

* * *

The job was to destroy a book called Daybreak, written by the client's father, for 2 Million Jewel. They had to infiltrate the mansion of a man named Duke Everlue who was currently hiring blond maids.

Lucy saw her chance and showed up outside the imposing gates of the castle-like building, calling out through the intercom that she's looking for a job, and when Everlue looked through the camera, he rejected her because she was ugly.

They decide to go with Plan B. B for Brute Force.

Managing to sneak in through an open window, they creep out of the room they landed in, only to be caught by four of Everlue's maids. And Lucy giggles when Happy scares them off with a creepy mask he found.

The group jump when the big, brutish maid they saw on the screen appears in front of them, Virgo, ambushes Natsu but falls into a heap at his feet when she defeats her.

Finding the library, they comb the shelves for the book until Natsu finds it on accident, and he lights up his fist in flames as he gets ready to burn it when he stops as Lucy lunges at him and grabs the book from him.

She says "Let me read it first! I can't let you destroy one of my favourite author's books before I read it!" and just as she sits down to read it, the door crashes open when Everlue kicks it in, stating "I want that book back".

Lucy ignores him and starts reading. When Everlue calls out the Vanish Brother because he is annoyed, Lucy discovers that there is a secret hidden in the book and she runs away to decipher it.

Natsu runs at the Vanish Brothers as Everlue chases Lucy with a shout and Happy flies off to help her.

He released a yell of frustration when none of his attacks were working, and his fire was just getting redirected back at him. But he gets a lucky break when one of the brothers makes fire to attack him.

The brother's faces fall into shock when he breaths in the spell and they disappear when Natsu releases an explosion that demolishes the house.

* * *

Lucy finishes deciphering Daybreak and decides that they can't destroy it, and she jumps when Everlue suddenly makes a hole in the wall and restrains her by the arms.

He threatens Lucy to tell him what the secret of the book is, but she refuses until Happy slams into his face with his feet, making him release Lucy.

"I made Zaleon write that book about me! I made him by threatening to withdraw his family's citizenship! It rightfully belongs to me! Now give it back!" he yelled as he lunged at her.

"You! _How dare you!_ How _dare_ you threaten him with his family and threaten him with his daughter-in-law. _I swear on my pride as a member of Fairy Tail_ ; you'll _never_ take _anyone's_ freedom from them again! _Rise, Sigma Draconis, and lend me the strength to vanquish those I call my enemies!"_ she roared in rage as she summons Saol.

Harsh gold and green lights fill the room, not like when she summoned him in the safety of her apartment.

Saol steps out, teeth bared in a vicious snarl; he growls, low and threatening _"What do you wish for me to do to him, Princess?"_

Lucy grins, and it's not nice. "Whatever you want."

Everlue backs away at her words, stammering out "G-Gate of the M-Maiden, I open th-thee! Virgo!"

And a small golden light comes from the end of the key in his hand, not anywhere near as blinding as when she summoned Saol, it grows and solidifies into the shape of the brutish maid Natsu defeated earlier, still slightly charred.

Saol launches himself at her, pulling at the connection between him and the earth to take control of wooden bookshelves to suspend them both high into the air. Virgo restrained, and Saol on a platform, taking himself and the other spirit out of the way of his summoner's righteous fury.

Lucy stalks towards him, grinning madly, and wills her magic to her hand, not to summon a spirit, but to condense, shape into a ball, and _mould_. Mould, into whatever she wishes. Into a _weapon_.

A weapon to punish this man, and what better than a whip?

The glowing ball in her hand, shrinks, then, it extends, to pool on the ground at her feet, bright gold entwined with threads of green, blue, brown. Red.

She didn't know how she was doing it, but with every crack of the whip, every pulse of the heartbeat of their magic, she felt, strong, invincible even. And the soft gold of the magic surrounding her weaved with vines of green, of wisps of blue, of cracks of brown. And of tongues of red.

The Life Draconis felt the bond between spirit and master pulse with intent, with need, asking (demanding) his support, felt his magic entwine with hers as he glowed green, a bright, brilliant green the colour of a forest.

Lucy could see, could hear nothing but the target in front of her, nothing but the sweat rolling down his forehead, the accelerated beat of his heart, the fear he was exuding.

She felt like a beast, hunting its prey. The bonds between her and her spirits growing stronger, changing, solidifying into something new. Something, Powerful.

Saol stared in awe; his master unlocked a power only 2, now 3, have ever used. Of the hundreds of Celestial Spirit mages, only two have used Zivel. She was channelling the full force of two platinum keys, as well as a force that equates to a golden key and two silver keys. Life, Water, and whatever the red and brown traces were. She has to be incredibly powerful to not only manage Zivel with spirits who have a contract with her. But also one who was unbonded, the other was possessed by the mage in front of her.

Before she knew it, the fight, if it could be called that, was over, and the outside world snapped back into focus, her improved senses leaving her, and the temporary bond with the two spirits not contracted with her, dissolving.

Duke Everlue was unconscious, Virgo having left a while ago, her summoner unable to hold open her gate any longer, and Saol staring in unrestrained awe. But before she could ask what exactly that was, the feeling of having no magic hit her like a truck, and she passed out, Saol catching her before she could hit the floor.

* * *

Lucy woke up to feeling sore all over. She tried to sit up, move her limbs, open her eyes, anything, but her body wouldn't respond to her. She panicked, thinking she was paralysed or dark mages had taken her. But Saol interrupted her thoughts with "Princess, don't worry, you are safe, we have just stopped you from moving because putting any strain at all on your muscles will tear them beyond repair. Your magic overpowered your body, tearing through your muscles as it tried to escape from its confinements. I will explain what you went through when you wake next, now sleep. Please."

* * *

When she woke next, she immediately felt much better, no longer having a pain running through her whole body. So, sending a tendril of magic into Saol's key, she signalled she was up and awake and wanted to talk. She would've summoned him herself, but she still had virtually no magic.

He appeared in the soft light she was used to, instead of the harsh, blinding light he appeared in when she summoned him to fight Virgo.

"Alright, let me explain, you achieved Zivel, a feat only two other mages before you have. Zivel is when you, how do I explain it, 'Connect' with your spirits, sharing magic, emotions and creating a permanent link between us.

You can now summon Amanzi and me without chanting, but now death is the only way our contract can be broken, and even then, we can't be called over by another mage for one hundred years. Your magic will also now have permanent traces of ours and vice versa as well as your magic pool having a significant boost.

Not every spirit will want to bond with you; some will find the idea of being passed from mage to mage far more appealing. I can't say for Amanzi's reasons, but I bonded with you because you're the most kind-hearted, caring summoner I've ever had, and you genuinely care about your spirits, not treating us as shields but as real people and as friends." He explained and layout his reasons.

"Now, you also can mould your magic, to use it for something other than just summoning spirits, in your massacre of Everlue, you summoned a whip made of golden light, with strings of green, blue, brown and red in it. I don't know where the red came from. But the brown was from my sister Lura, the Earth Draconis. Everlue possessed her, and she had only recently acquired because he forgot he had her. I've taken the liberty of repossessing his keys, so you now have the Zodiac Spirit Virgo and the Draconis Lura." He looked pleased about sharing a summoner with his twin.

"Do you have enough magic to summon a Silver key? Don't summon one, just pull up that amount of magic into your hand." He asked. Lucy answered with a yes and watched as a golden ball of energy formed on her hand, but the ball wasn't all gold, it had wisps of blue and green swimming in it. Saol commented, "Your magic will always be like this now, and before I forget, you also have minor control over plants and water, nothing like a proper mage would. But more like an affinity for our elements, having a better sense of direction in a place with lots of plants, swimming a bit more streamlined and being able to hold your breath underwater longer, things like that." He disappeared just as the door burst open, Natsu racing through them, Happy in tow.

She didn't notice the faint wisp of red in the golden ball of magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lura  
> (Loo-rah)
> 
> * * *


	4. Explanations and More Questions

Lucy stared at the key in her hand, the purplish silver with brown detailing, gleaming in the fluorescent lights of the infirmary. She had asked Natsu to bring her mother's book to her, so she could identify who's keys it was.

Saol had given her some idea, he had mentioned the spirit was his twin sister, Lura the Earth Draconis, but he didn't say which star she belonged to, and so she had asked for her book.

Sitting upright in her cot, her mother's book in her lap and a journal in her hand, she was copying down the information it had on Saol and Amanzi, along with writing down what she knew of them, their habits, abilities, and topics to avoid. She was also making a note of how long it'd been since they had had a summoner before she made a contract with them - anger at the injustice their masters put them through, coursing through her veins. She vowed never to let someone hurt her spirits like that again, not while she was breathing.

"Lura, Earth Draconis. According to this, she's number Twelve, and in Mamma's book she's the last of the Chromatics, but there could be more. Earth spirits are usually dense, strong physical fighters, but they can also attack from afar with magic." She mumbles to herself.

Her thought process was interrupted when the doors opened to let Mirajane in, bringing a plate of food with her, just as her stomach made its thoughts known.

The dinner smelled terrific, and the sight of a thick chicken thigh slathered with sauce, with a salad next to it, made her salivate.

After she ate, Mirajane mentioned everyone was worried sick when she was carried in by Natsu, limp and bleeding from every orifice.

Mirajane mentioned they knew she had overpowered her body with her magic, but they didn't know how it happened. They had only ever heard it happen when a transfer went wrong, but Natsu said he didn't transfer any magic to her, so they had no idea how it happened.

So, she explained, explained everything.

And she pulled up a ball of magic to prove it, showing her the wisps of blue and green.

Mira was shocked into silence; she hadn't ever heard of a Celestial spirit mage being able to use their magic for anything except summoning, let alone achieving Zivel. "Would you mind me getting Master? He might have some more information." And without waiting for an answer, she rushed out to bring the tiny man down from his office on the second floor.

* * *

Natsu was sitting at the bar, his sensitive ears picking up Lucy and Mirajane's conversation, and as she explained, he could feel himself growing tenser and tenser for every minute of them talking.

He watched as Mirajane nearly ran out the infirmary doors, drawing confused stares from his guildmates. His eyes widened as he watched as she raced back to Lucy with the Master in tow.

Without consciously processing it, his legs made their way over to the small doors marking the entrance, his arms pushing them open. As Mirajane ran back in through the doors, Master in tow, and Natsu calmly walked behind them; Lucy prepared herself to explain what she had been through again, everyone she wanted to talk to this about, gathered in one room. Master seemed to notice that Natsu had followed them, and was ready to kick him out when she stopped him. "It's alright Master; I want him to hear this, he deserves to know."

Makarov nodded, and Lucy began her story, "Zivel - meaning element - is a mode only very few of us have achieved. It allows us to make a permanent bond with our willing platinum spirits. When connected, we gain a significant boost to our magic pools, as well as our magic having small parts of our bond. We also have a slight affinity to our bonded's element, such as with the Fire Spirit; gaining a much higher resistance to temperatures, or the Sky Spirit, being able to hold our breath for much longer.

When we die, because of the bond with them, the spirit's keys can't be found for at least 100 years. Death is the only way we know of to break it - so some won't choose to attach themselves - which is great because other Spirit mages can't steal my keys. Zivel allows us to access a considerable amount of magic, doubling or even tripling our capacity, our bodies eventually get used to it, so you won't see me here every time I use it." Master let out a sigh of relief.

"I have heard of this before, by two mages before you; they gained legendary power to defeat legendary enemies. But they were so old; their magic tore them apart after they used it. The legends mention only seeing a bright gold dragon made of pure magic with different colours streaming down its back. I wondered why both legends mentioned a dragon, but I guess it makes sense when the Platinum Keys are also called Draconis." He revealed.

They jumped in fright when Natsu spoke up from the back corner, face uncharacteristically serious, "So that's what that huge amount of magic power was. I thought something had happened to you, because when I arrived, the only thing I saw was you lying on the ground unconscious, with Everlue's keys in your hand. He was also unconscious a few feet away."

Lucy felt a stab of guilt, imagining what she would think if she felt a massive surge of magic, and got there only to see him lying on the ground unconscious. The group continued to discuss the rare ability she unlocked for hours, talking until night hit, when Natsu called out, "Hey Luce, why not call out one of your spirits, see if they have anything to add?" He was grabbing the opportunity to see if that familiar scent was one of her spirits.

She grabbed Amanzi's key, knowing Saol would want to explain further, but he wouldn't want to see Natsu.

The golden light that was there usually didn't appear. Instead, a dark blue glow emitted from the key, and it floated to hover in the air beside the bed, the light expanded, solidifying and forming Amanzi. Lucy watched in surprise and commented, "That's new, I knew I wouldn't have to chant to summon her, but I didn't think she'd form from the key."

The link snapped back into place, _"What do you wish from me, Princess?"_

"I'd like for you to share what you know of Zivel, but if you don't feel comfortable, you're free to return to the spirit world." She said kindly.

Amanzi smiled _"I don't mind,"_ and she turned to the others, _"Do you have any questions? Ask, and I'll answer what I can."_

It was Makarov who spoke up first, "Is there any risk of her magic overloading her body and killing her?"

 _"Because she is young, and she hasn't had any major injuries before, the risk of overloading her body is quite low. But there is still a risk, as with anything related to magic,"_ Amanzi answered, the tension that was building up in his body, leaving.

"Do you know how long it will be until Lucy gets used to the influx of magic?" he asked again.

 _"I haven't encountered this before, but I estimate about four or five more times until she can do it with nearly no risk to herself. Each time she accesses our power, her pool will break and reform, and when it breaks, the magic will run rampant of her body. Each time it does so, her body will repair itself, and it will grow stronger, lowering the pain she is in every time."_ She responded.

Natsu spoke next, "Why do you smell familiar to me?" The question stunned the other occupants of the room into silence.

_"I'm sorry, but I can't answer that. Eventually, you will remember, it just takes time."_

Lucy stared as Natsu stormed out of the room.

 _"It doesn't seem like they have any more questions, may I go now, Princess? Saol will probably summon himself when I leave; he says he's been dying without seeing you."_ She comments after a few minutes of silence.

Lucy replies distractedly. "Yeah, sure, thank you for your help." And Amanzi vanishes in a whirlpool of glowing blue light, seeming to be sucked into the key that floated into her hand.

As soon as Amanzi disappears, Saol's key starts rattling against the other keys and flies off her keyring, hovering in the same spot Amanzi's did.

He appears in the same light show as the water spirit did, solidifying from the green glow emanating from the key.

* * *

No one noticed the dark eye peeking through a crack in the door, withdrawing when Saol arrived.

* * *

Natsu's head was reeling, perplexed by the information it had received.

He remembered everything, and he was left wondering; wondering how he forgot in the first place.

Realizing he had retreated to his house in the woods, he rushed back to the Guild, preparing apologies and explanations and ready to beg for forgiveness, forgiveness for forgetting his brother.

Rushing past citizens, mages and clients alike as he made his way to the infirmary, hoping to Mavis he was still there.

The doors crashed open, dark eyes scouring the room for a flash of green, and he spotted him, staring in shock at the now open doors.

Saol snapped out of his trance and spun around, ready to ask Lucy to send him back, as Natsu called out "Wait, Saol, Please!"

He stalked over to him, eyes flashing, brown hair whipping as he called up his magic, "I don't want to speak with you, not now, not ever." He growled.

Natsu grabbed his wrist as he turned away, "Wait, just please, wait. I can explain everything." He trailed off.

The pink-haired man flinched as Saol wrenched his wrist from his grip, "What?! What can you explain? How you took off for the human realm? How you pretended you don't know us? How you didn't come back for 400 years!? How you betrayed me, us!?" His voice got higher and higher at every question.

Natsu shrunk at the barrage of questions and meekly got out "I was mad, so mad at you, that I didn't want to see you, so I stormed off to Earthland. But with every passing year, I lost my memories bit by bit, and I didn't notice because I didn't want to think about it, until one day I just didn't remember. Somehow, I was convinced I had been born here and played off my magic as being trained by a dragon, and eventually, found myself here. But now I remember, you, Lura, and everyone else, and I don't ever want to forget again." He got bolder with each passing word.

Saol just stared. _'It. It wasn't on purpose...? He simply lost his memories, and I lost my brother over a stupid argument neither of us remembers anymore…?'_ And that was it, he launched himself at his brother, tears leaking unbidden from his eyes.

They fell to the ground as they embraced each other, crying about stupid arguments and lost memories.

Mirajane broke the silence, having stayed to talk to Lucy, "Um, do you have any idea what's going on?"

"I think, Natsu may be a Draconis Star?" Lucy questioned, not quite sure either.

The pair sat in silence as the two males sobbed on the floor.

* * *

After the two apparent brothers collected their emotions, the pair explained themselves.

"You've probably guessed already, but Natsu is a spirit, specifically the Fire Draconis. Nearly 800 years ago, Natsu and I shared the same summoner. He was a cruel man, using us not only as shields but also as emotionless tools to do his bidding, Natsu couldn't stand for him treating us as tools, and he was very outspoken about it.

He was on his last straw; he told him time and time again to not come out on his own to protect the other spirits. He did it once again, so our owner threatened to do what had been done to Amanzi, seal him in his key for eternity. I had been protected by him earlier, so I stood up to him. He said to me - and I remember it as clear as crystal, the words that he spoke -, _"Yer can condemn this to its fate, or yer can take 'is place"._ And I decided, we weren't going to put up with him anymore, so, without harming him, I batted our keys out of his hand, sending me off the cliff we were on into the water below, and Natsu's landing precariously on a rock.

400 or so years later his key was picked up by a travelling merchant, while mine sat at the bottom of the ocean for roughly another 350 until I washed up on the beach, the shop keeper grabbed me when he was packing up his stuff, and put me with the others, where I sat until you found me."

Lucy and Mira had their hands over their mouths in shock by the time he finished, staring at the pair.

When they got over their shock, Lucy asked Natsu, "So, do you have any idea where your key is?"

He grimaced, "Not specifically, but, somethings pulling me over to the North-West, so it's probably in that direction."

"North-West... Mt. Hakobe, Shirotsume, and Blue Pegasus are over that way. I do hope it's not in Mt. Hakobe; you'd never find it," Mirajane commented.

Natsu frowned, "Nah, it feels more West than North, so it's probably with the Blue Pegasus Guild."


	5. Omicron Draconis and The Maiden

Natsu was groaning on the floor of the train compartment as they pulled into the town Blue Pegasus was in, but when the train stopped, Natsu flung himself up into a backflip to land on his feet, his motion sickness suddenly gone.

Lucy giggled at the familiar action, not paying any mind to the stares they were getting. She ran after him as he raced out the door as soon as he was steady, desperate to get off the train.

They had left Happy to go on a mission with Gray and Erza, seeing as Lucy thought it would be too dangerous for the cat.

After they had asked a couple of locals where the guild was, they arrived at the doors. Natsu abruptly stopped, his gut pulling him away from the building. And as he told Lucy it wasn't in the building, she screeched "What! What do you mean it's not here! I thought you said it was here!?"

He replied with "Luce, it's not at the guild, but it's still somewhere nearby." She calmed right down.

They took off down the streets toward the left, heading South, his gut telling him which roads to turn down, leading a winding path towards what looked to be... A bar?

The bar looked run down and old, but it still had plenty of customers, men and woman coming and going reasonably often.

Inside of the bar was vastly different, with gold trimmings on the tops and bottoms of the walls, red drapes, silver tablecloths, and people in fancy dress. It looked like it was a restaurant, hidden by a glamour.

The insistence of the tugging in his gut got much more potent, leading him to one of the waiters, and he asked, "You haven't got a Celestial Spirit Key, have ya?", the waiter went deathly pale and stuttered out, "M-My shift end's i-in a bit, would you m-mind waiting s-sir?"

She glanced at Natsu and looked back at the waiter, "Yeah, sure, we can wait a bit."

As they waited outside for the waiter, they were talking about what their contract would include when Lucy remembered that she hadn't made a contract with Lura or Virgo yet. She pulls out her mother's book on Draconis and calls out, "Rise, Omicron Draconis, and lend me the strength to vanquish those I call my enemies!"

A tanned woman steps out of the gold and brown light, mud-coloured hair cut close to her head with bright green ends, and a brown shirt the colour of dirt covers her chest, short enough to stop just after her stomach. She wore dark green three-quarter pants and no shoes, black bangles adorn each wrist and ankle, and her long, pointed ears have three small black hoops each.

The spirit's white, slit pupil's glow in her dark green eyes.

Cheerfully she says "Hi, I'm Lura, Saol's twin. I use Earth magic."

"Hi Lura, I'm Lucy Heartfilia, would you be willing to make a contract with me?"

She bounces over and seems to inspect her and Natsu, before coming to a decision, "Sure, your aura feels nice, and you've made friends with Mr Grumpy over there, so you're cool." She winked and gestured behind her, where Saol was leaning against the entrance to an alleyway. He had come out of his gate while Lura was inspecting them.

"I'm only grumpy because stalker here has been watching you for a while now." He grumbles, Lucy spins around to look at where he's pointing but relaxes when it's just the waiter.

The kid seems to have gained a bit of colour in the time they were separated, and a was a bit bolder too, because he asked, "Why do you want it?"

She jabbed her thumb over in Natsu's direction, "Because mister over there is a spirit, and you've got his key."

The courage he had gained drained out of him and all he said was, "Oh".

"So, if you could hand it over, that would be great." She drawled.

The kid's smile turned sly, "Now, how far would you be willing to go to get it." They realized the fake shy demeanour had tricked them.

Natsu stepped forward, "Why don't we just take it from you?"

He smiled, "You'll never find it." He sang. And Natsu realized he couldn't feel the pull of his key anymore.

Frowning, he shook his head at Lucy.

Cautiously, she asked, "What do you want for it?"

"Uh-uh-ah" he sang, "That would take the fun out of it."

Saol growled, feeling Lucy's anger feeding his own through the bond.

"Just cut to the chase, what do you want us to do." He snarled.

"Ah, this guy's onto it. I want you to get something for me, something you can't acquire by normal means." He spoke.

"What is it?" Lucy asked frowning.

The kid's smile turned maniac. "Your magic!" He yelled as he lunged for her.

Natsu quickly stepped into his path, stopping his lunge with an uppercut to the chin, coated in his flames.

He clicked his tongue, and his smile dropped. "That hurt."

Saol and Lura worked together to make an earthen box filled with vines, trapping him inside, and Saol yelled, "Natsu, light it up!"

The tangle of plants burned until they turned to ash, and the earth surrounding him dropped. They didn't want him dead, so the vines never got too close. They heard chuckling coming from the direction of the ash and smoke, the kid walked out, totally unharmed. "Good attempt, no one's done that before."

Natsu gaped, "How?"

"It's really quite simple; I just surrounded myself in water. Stopped the smoke and fire from getting to me." He boasted.

Lura attacked with another earthen box, this time surrounding him, making it air-tight, and shrinking it until there was only enough space to hold the kid. "See how you get out of that one!" There was a mad gleam in her eye, enjoying the challenge.

Maniacal laughter sounded behind them, and the spun to see the kid was once again, totally unharmed. "You can't get me with petty party tricks like that; I thought you'd be a difficult opponent." He shrugged, "Guess I was wrong."

Saol stepped up behind her, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "Summon your magic as I told you, mould it into whatever shape feels comfortable." And he enveloped her in a flower-bud, protecting her from the insane kid.

She pulled up her magic, lighting up the inside of the flower with it. She hadn't experimented with this since Saol had told her about it, so it felt weird, the magic not used to being used outside her body.

Her magic strained as she tried to shape it into different weapons, swords, spears, axes, and more, but nothing felt right. As she tried to force it into the shape of a sword, a memory flitted past; it was of her in an outsider's perspective, she was wreathed in golden light, taking the form of a dragon. Its head, all the way down to the tips of its tail had streams of green, blue, brown, and red decorating it. The dragon's belly was pure silver, and the colours seemed to be originating from an orb inside of it, just above where her head was.

She was holding a whip and the mental image from the memory took hold, and the gold, green and blue ball in her hand took shape.

There in her hand was a whip with a bright golden handle, it had a thin blue and green cord-like thong, with a golden feather tip. The blue and green continually twisted around itself, creating a two-strand braid-like pattern.

Natsu could see the flower Saol made, glow bright gold, then was destroyed from the inside, and Lucy stepped out from the ruined flower, radiating the same gold as the flower did, with a blue and green whip in her hand. The magic surrounding her flickered and grew like flames.

It sent a pang of unbidden jealousy through him that he couldn't quite understand.

Lucy lashed out towards the kid, whip slicing through the air like a blade, the feather tip hardening into a spearhead, ready to cut through anything in its way.

The kid narrowly dodged, eyes narrowed at the new weapon, and he vanished.

Saol called out, "Lura and I can't sense him anymore, he's gone."

"Do you think you and Lura could see if you could find the key we need?" she called back, taking in the damage caused by the fight. The glamour covering the restaurant had faded away, the front sported scorch marks. They had uprooted the road; vines and assorted plants littered the upturned cobble.

She saw the mages of Blue Pegasus running towards them and dissolved her whip but kept her magic humming underneath the surface of her skin, ready to run or fight.

"We can try, but if it's out of our range, we won't be able to." He answered.

The mages finally caught up to them, demanding they explain themselves.

Lucy explained what happened, about how they came here searching for a key, how their information led them to the restaurant, how one of the waiters had the key on them, and how they had been attacked by the kid saying he wanted her magic.

The members of Blue Pegasus deliberated for a moment before telling them about a string of murders, and that they had had their magic fully extracted from their bodies, and probably transplanted into someone else, killing them instantly.

Saol and Lura shouted in victory, "We found the key we need!" They were mindful of the other mages, not revealing any more information than necessary.  
"That's great, awesome job, guys!" She told them.

"Now, if you don't mind, we would like to go get the key, so, are we excused?" She asked the mages.

They let them go without any more fuss, watching Saol and Lura guide them to where Natsu's key was.

No one noticed the extra shadow around their feet.

* * *

Walking for hours put a strain on her feet, and wearing heels wasn't a good idea when climbing up rocky mountains.

When they finally made camp for the night, she collapsed where she stood, and had zero plans to get up again unless she had to.

She sat on a log in front of the small campfire they had going, making a stew out of the rabbit Lura had caught for dinner.

Saol spoke up, "I didn't want to mention it, but I think someone's following us, Princess. There's been another signature hovering in my sensing range." Lura nodded her head in agreement.

Lucy was immediately on guard, Natsu scenting the air for any strange smells, but neither of them noticed anything out of the ordinary. "How far away are they?" She asked them.

"Couple hundred meters away, that's all" Lura answered.

She frowned, "Do you think they're following us to get the key?" She was wary of who could overhear their conversation.

Saol answered her this time, "That's a possibility, but they could also be waiting for us to sleep so they can kill us or something." She thought that was a bit morbid. "In the meantime, why don't you summon out Virgo, you haven't made a contract yet have you?"

"Oh, yeah, that's right!" She exclaimed as she pulled Virgo's key out of her bag, "Gate of the Maiden, I open thee! Virgo!" A bell rang out as a golden light formed on the end of the key, summoning a small pink-haired maid, with chains clamped to her wrists.

Natsu was confused, "Weren't you a big, brutish maid?"

Virgo answered with "I take on whatever form my master wishes of me."

"Would you like to make a contract with me?" Lucy asked.

The spirit bowed, "Yes, Master, I am available whenever you see fit."

Lucy grimaced, "Please don't call me, master."

"How about, Mistress?" Virgo asked.

"No." She deadpanned

"My Lady?" Her voice had a hopeful lilt.

"No." Lucy sighed

"Boss?" Virgo was getting desperate now.

Before Lucy could answer, Saol cut in, "Just call her Princess, the rest of us do."

"Princess," She tested out, "I will call you, Princess." Her voice was final as she faded into golden light.

Lucy grumbled out under her breath, "I'd like it if you called me Lucy, but that's not going to happen."

Lura sounded scandalized, "Princess, we could never call you that."

"I know, I'm your holder, so, you think I deserve some sort of title befitting of me, doesn't mean I have to like it though, I'd rather earn that respect instead of demanding it of you, you're my friends, I don't want you to feel as if you're lower than I am."

Lura was tearing up, Saol was full-on sobbing, and Natsu was staring blankly at her.

She got defensive, thinking she had said something wrong, "What, what did I say?"

The twins shot at her, wrapping her in a hug as they cried into her shoulders. Natsu explained, shocked, "It's just, we've had so many people think of us lesser than them because we can be called out by keys, it's an ingrained habit by now, to put people on a pedestal. So, we don't get punished."

_'Why do people treat them like this, like tools, they have thoughts and feelings and family too.'_

Jolting out of her thoughts, she extended her arm to the side, inviting Natsu to join his siblings.

He hesitantly folded himself into the group hug, relaxing when the safety and warmth surrounded him.

_'I'm never going to let her go.'_ He decided.


	6. Alpha Draconis

They stopped climbing at the peak of the day; the noon sun making the melting snow glitter like starlight, and the mountains reaching far above the clouds.

"Saol, which way do we go now?" Natsu asked.

He pointed down into the dark ravine in front of him, a cave just barely visible under the lip.

Lucy turned around, hands on her hips as she asked, "Which one of you wants to do the honours?"

Lura stepped forward, and as her hands sunk into the earth, a noise sounded from below them, like rocks grounding against each other as a bridge slowly formed from the stone, reaching down into the darkness to the cave.

As the stone made its way to the cave, a shadow shot past; the kid jumped out and landed before them.

He smirked, laughing maniacally, "Really now, are you all that stupid? You led me right to what I was looking for, and you weren't even aware you were doing it."

"I only had your key for a couple of hours, some man in a cloak handed it to me and showed me your picture, saying I could have what I wanted if I killed you, taking your magic and keys was just a bonus. When my shift ended, he took the key back and told me to follow you here." He shrugged.

While he was talking, the bridge finished making its way over, and Lura had joined us at the mouth of the cave watching the kid monologue in front of us, making grand gestures and dancing around the entrance, his arrogance entirely on display.

He stopped abruptly, pausing comically on one foot, hands in the air and he slowly pulled his limbs back towards himself, calming down as a tall man in a thick black cloak materialized out of the shadows deeper inside.

"I was expecting you later on, but no matter, it was ready anyways. Come along." He motioned further into the cave.

Lucy, Natsu, Saol and Lura crept forward cautiously, ready to fight or flee at any given moment.

Natsu pulled up his magic to light up the cave, traversing farther into its depths, following the man.

They had been walking for a while when a green light shone from around a dark corner; the daylight no longer penetrating the inky darkness.

The light was faint but got more oppressive with every passing step. It almost seemed to pulse in a heartbeat-like fashion.

To go along with the pulsing of a magic circle; a soft drumbeat echoed.

Stopping in front of the circle, the cloaked man spun around with his arms wide open, "This, is The Circu de' la Aestrelas, The Circle of Starlight!" Green Magic pulsed throughout the room, and Lucy stared in awe at the size of the circle, easily matching the size of the Guild Hall and then some, and the eight stone pillars at the points of the spokes, were at least 7 feet tall, with stone bowls of green flames.

Natsu spoke up, "What does it do? Exactly."

"The Circu de' la Aestrelas draws it's power from the stars, just like you lot do, but unfortunately the spell we're casting will take another couple of years, so, we'll have to absorb your magic!" He exclaimed cheerfully.

The insane kid - she still didn't know his name - stepped forward out of the shadows of the cave, "So, if you don't mind, hand over your keys, and yourselves, and we can be on our merry way. Also, you shouldn't put up much of a fight; the magic circle has been draining tiny increments of your magic since you got to the edge of the ravine, wasting any more will be harmful to your bodies."

As he said that, Lucy realized he was right, she didn't have a lot of magic left; summoning a Draconis for this long took a lot out of her, and the circle had drained at least half of what was left. She could sense that if she tried to form her whip with the little amount left, it would be weak enough to be absorbed by the circle. There was no choice but to rely on her spirits elemental attacks, something she didn't like doing.

Lura, Saol and Natsu stepped in front of her, realizing the same thing she did, and she spotted Natsu's key off to the side, behind the dark guilds weaker members.

She sent an impression through her bond to Saol, trying to tell him to focus on defeating the leader and the kid and she'd get Natsu's key.

He sent back something that felt vaguely like agreement and settled into a stance; readying himself for a fight.

Lucy inched back into the shadows, out of sight, sneaking her way past the members. One of them must've seen her because he grabbed the attention of one of the mages near him, who called out to her, "Hey, don't go any further!"

She rolled her eyes. Like she would listen.

One of Saol's vines destroyed a pillar, and a small amount of magic returned to her, most of it sent to empower her spirits, so she yelled over the sounds of fighting, "Destroy the pillars, they hold the magic!"

Natsu's key was just in reach when a sword nearly chopped her hand off at the wrist. She swept away from the next attack as someone destroyed another pillar, giving her enough magic to summon and sustain her whip.

As she dodged another clumsy swipe of the sword, her whip lashed out, grabbing Natsu's key, and she rushed out, "Rise, Alpha Draconis, and lend me the strength to vanquish those I call my enemies!" A red and gold light enveloped Natsu, and the feeling of the bond snapping into place, heightened by having nearly no magic, pushed her off the teetering edge of Zivel. The adrenalin, relief and power flooding through her felt marvellous; like she was simultaneously flying and drowning at the same time.

This time her attention wasn't transfixed on taking out the enemy in front of her, so she noticed the silver dragon surrounding her, roaring with almost sentience and the red and brown streams of her spirits elements flowing down the back of the dragon's neck to its tail.

The whip in her hand changed almost instantly, the blue and green, thinning to make way for the red and brown as they twisted around each other. Red, green, blue and brown stripes, circling equally.

Most of the dark guild scattered in fear of the power being exuded by her, while the magic circle was glowing nearly bright enough to blind; illuminating the whole room.

She spun around to face the Circu de' la Aestrelas, and her magic drew itself to the back of her mouth, forming words she hadn't ever heard of."Spirit Dragon's Roar!" The tornado of power erupting from her was a clean silver, with her spirit's elements circling it.

Magic clashed against magic. The power held in the Circu de' la Aestrelis, fighting against the twisting pillar of Spirit magic, in a bright crash of harsh green and softly glowing silver.

Her roar won out, the sheer power of four Draconis, overpowering the magic stored in the last three pillars - another two destroyed earlier - light flooded the cave, temporarily blinding those who occupied it.

When the glow died down, the only source of light was her and the Draconis, each of them illuminating their immediate surroundings. She felt herself slowly come out of Zivel, the silver dragon and the light coming off each of them, dwindling to nothing, leaving the only light source as the fire coming from Natsu's palm.

Then, the pain hit her - the last time she had entered Zivel, she had passed out from a loss of magic before her brain registered the pain. She fell to the floor with a cry, and her spirits immediately made their way over. Before she passed out, she asked, "Natsu, when are you available?" He choked off a laugh, "Anytime Luce, anytime."

* * *

Lucy opened her eyes to see the fluorescent lights of the infirmary once again, and she wondered to herself, _"How many times am I going to wake up like this?"_ only to get an answer from Natsu sitting beside her, "Dunno, but the telepathy's cool."

She shot up from her cot, only to immediately regret it, her muscles screaming, and she let out a short cry of pain. Flopping back onto the bed, she asked, "What happened with the dark guild?"

"After you passed out," Lucy grimaced, "I grabbed a flare from your bag, to notify the magic council. But we didn't know if the circle was still dangerous, so Saol helped me bring you here while Lura went back to the spirit world, and I re-summoned myself to save some of your magic. We told Gramps what happened, but Saol couldn't explain it, he had never seen anything like that happen before, both the other mages dying before the bond had a chance to develop." Happy nodded along with his explanation, chipping in with 'Aye's every so often.

 _'Awesome, something else happening without my knowledge.'_ She sighed to herself, noting the differences between using the telepathy and not. Something suddenly occurred to her, and she asked, "Hey, I want to test something, could you go back to the spirit world for a minute?" Natsu and Happy were confused, but he did what she asked.

 _"Okay, Natsu? Can you hear me?"_ She asked, trying to get a feel for which bond was which for each element.

Amanzi answered her, _"Princess? How are you doing this?"_

 _"Um, hi Amanzi. So, I have this bond with all of you, which evolved from that impression/emotion thing we had? Could you send a pulse down the bond? I need to identify which one is yours. They all feel the same at the moment."_ Lucy rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, forgetting that Amanzi wouldn't be able to see it.

 _"Sure, thing Princess."_ The magic that flowed through the bond felt like _'Waterflowingthroughafield'_ ; it sent pleasant shivers down her spine.

She connected to Saol next. He sent the impression of _'HelloHowHelp'_ through the magic, _"Saol, help, how do I work this thing?"_ She whined.

His huff echoed through her head, and she could almost see the amused smile. _"Everyone who possesses magic has a signature, a feeling of their magic; you can usually tell what kind of magic they use by feeling how their magic flows. Yours, for instance, feels like a star ready to explode, a small light that's not any different from the others around it, ready to go supernova at the slightest push. It's what made Lura accept you so fast. She's blind, so she 'sees' by sending vibrations through the earth and sensing magic signatures. It makes a living map in her head, so she's an excellent scout, but she usually doesn't attach to people that fast, keeping her distance until she's sure she can trust you."_ Presumably, it was how he sensed signatures, so his explanation made a lot of sense.

Lucy was surprised by the information, but she frowned when he mentioned Lura was blind, thinking he should've let her tell her herself. But when she said so, Saol just laughed, _"She's right here next to me, she told me to tell you."_ That made her relax. _"Did you want me to send my magic through, so you can get to know the feeling?"_ Sighing in relief, she picked up her notebook from beside her bed, noting what they each felt like.

 _"That'd be great. Thank you."_ The impression he sent felt like _'Quietforestinthemorning'_ ; It made her feel at peace.

She was snapped out of her reverie when Saol said; _"Have you got a lock on it, Princess?"_

 _"What? Oh, yeah, I've got it. I'm going to try and finally get Natsu. Thank you again."_ And she cut the link, trying to find the one that felt like fire. It probably wasn't the one that felt like _'Steadygroundunderfoot'_ , but she thought he would be something more like a raging inferno, not _'Bonfireonthebeach'_. But, now that she thought about it, it makes much more sense for him to feel like safety and fun with friends, instead of anger destroying everything in its path.

_"Natsu? Sorry for taking so long, I accidentally connected to Amanzi and Saol first."_

_"Hey, what? Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault you don't know how this works."_ He softly chided. _"Is this what you wanted to test? See if the telepathy worked when we're in the Spirit World?"_

_"Yes, it is, Saol gave me an explanation, so do you have any questions?"_

_"Nah, I think I'm good, but if I do, I'll try and connect on my end."_

_"Okay, I'm cutting the link, if you want to come back out you can."_ Studiously ignoring Happy's increasingly concerned glances while he kneaded her lap.

She searched her magic for the link to Lura, and the feeling of _'Steadygroundunderfoot'_ washed over her as she connected.

Lura spoke before she could, _"Hi Princess! What can I do for you?"_

 _"How'd you know I was going to contact you? Ah, wait never mind, Saol told me you were next to him. But, I have to ask, are you blind? It didn't seem like you were."_ As she spoke, she realized that her words were incredibly insensitive and tried to apologize, only for Lura to cut her off. _"I don't mind, Princess, but yes, I am blind. I only remember being like this, so it doesn't bother me. I do know what the colours look like because I can sense people's auras and Saol just told me about this book he found about Zivel, or more appropriately, Balaur, which is the last stage, and it told him about the ability to share sight! So, I'm super excited."_

Lucy was trying to wrap her head around the information she was given, _'So Lura's blind, but she can still see. I have heard of wizards who could do that. And Saol found a book about Zivel, which is fantastic, we don't have to stumble around in the dark anymore!'_

Happy was still looking at her like she was crazy.


	7. Wyrms! How Fun!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I think of Earth Wyrms as Amphitheres that make burrows under towns, it’s a giant network of caves (Think giant ant hill). Yes, I did get the idea from HTTYD, make of that what you will.

She had finally gotten approval from Porlyusica to leave the infirmary, her muscles healing much faster than last time when Natsu approached her with a mission for eradicating a town of Earth Wyrms before the small city collapsed. It wasn’t too hard and had enough Jewel to pay for this month’s rent, so she accepted it.

Natsu had returned to the spirit world, for the time being, not wanting to handle the motion sickness, but they had figured out how to all talk to each other, her mental image thought it looked a bit like her whip, all twisted together like a rope.

The telepathy was clear, not like the first few times they had tried it, where it was all jumbled up like crossed lines, Saol getting a message from Natsu to Lucy and sending his answer to Lura and Amanzi getting her response, and so on.

Lucy suddenly realized that Happy was staring at her weirdly, and she blushed when she remembered that she had been giggling and snorting at comments for a while now, and it must look strange to an outsider, suddenly laughing or letting out a snort at random.

Turning to Happy, she said, “Don’t worry, I’m not crazy; I’m just talking to Natsu and the others through telepathy.” Happy’s face immediately morphed from concern to sadness as he realized they were leaving him out. She felt a stab of guilt, “Do you want me to do a running commentary?”

Happy brightened and nodded his head so fast she thought it might fall off, and he wiggled his way into her lap, kneading her thighs as he sat down.

She adopted her best commentator’s voice as she described as best she could what was going on in her head. Happy let out snorts and belly-aching laughs at her spirit’s ridiculous antics, having upped the ante of their outrageousness for Happy’s entertainment.

They arrived at the town over from Temak, and when Natsu opened his gate, Happy flew straight to his arms, settling down to sleep.

The ground rumbled under their feet as they walked the rest of the way to Temak, and they hurried the rest of the way there, seeing what looked to be a giant earthworm with small bat-like wings extending from behind its massive head.

Natsu sent a stream of fire at it, hitting it directly on the nose, and it screeched as it dived back underground.

She called out Lura as she told Natsu to flush all of the Wyrms out of their caves.

When he had done that, she told Lura to fill the tunnels with earth while Natsu and her attacked the Wyrms, so the ground wouldn’t collapse beneath them.

Attacking the Wyrms wasn’t as easy as it sounded, they were far more agile than anticipated and hitting their wings was nearly impossible, even when Happy had flown Natsu right up to one.

So, they decided to go for the head, seeing as it was the most significant part of their bodies, and something occurred to her, “Natsu! Bring them down to the ground!” She shouted, and she turned to Lura, “Do you think you could bind them to the ground?” She asked.

Lura only nodded determinately, hands sinking into the earth as Natsu drove one of the Wyrms down with an axe kick to the head.

The thing let out an unholy screech as Natsu drove it down, attracting the attention of the others and calling them over. Lura binding it with solid stone around its neck, wings and the whip-like tail, keeping its head far enough off the ground so it couldn’t escape by digging into the soft dirt.

She had just enough magic to summon Saol and keep her whip up, but not for long, not with how many Wyrms were flying over. But they couldn’t win without him, they would run out of magic far before that, so she sent the tendril of magic through his key, unlocking his door, and he appeared, geared up and ready to fight.

He launched himself over to the treeline, sitting cross-legged in a patch of tall grass, a look of pure concentration on his face. When the forest came alive, Lucy understood why. Trees streamed and locked around the necks of the beasts, vines tangled around their wings, grass twisted and made ropes to hold them down, roots locking their jaws shut.

And, Oh. It was taking a lot more magic than expected; she released the grip she had on her whip and sat down slowly, it faded in a shower of golden light as it pooled on the ground.

She stared in awe as he single-handedly took care of all of the Wyrms. A thump sounded behind her, and she twisted to see Natsu crouched on one of their heads, inches away.

Once all of the Wyrms were taken care of, their carcasses stored in a pocket dimension to give to Laki, the official Magic Council wrangler - she was the only one apart from Master keeping them from getting arrested - she thought over what just happened.

She’d known that the Draconis spirits were strong, and linking with her only gave them a boost, but it hadn’t hit her just how strong they were or could be, until now.

Saol looked quite pale, but when she asked if he was alright, he just said, “Used up too much magic, I’ll be fine by tomorrow,” and disappeared in a whirlpool into his key.

Lura jumped into a rant, muttering about, ‘Reckless, over-protective, older brother’, how ‘He didn’t need to go that far, stupid dumbass’ and, ‘I guess it’s okay if he does it to protect the Princess’.

No, it was not okay. Not okay for spirits to think of themselves as expendable.

She said as much, _“It’s not okay for you to get hurt, or, or use so much magic that you’re in pain, or to think of yourselves as sacrifices, and I know it has been conditioned into you by awful summoners, but that doesn’t mean I want you too! I think of all of you as my friends, my Nakama, not just my spirits, and it pains me to see you hurting, and not just outwardly! Why do you think I asked about how long it’s been? It’s because I care about your stupid dumbass! So, please, try and be less self-sacrificial next time, if not for yourself, then for me, Lura and Natsu…”_ Her voice trailed off towards the end.

For a moment she thought he hadn’t heard her, but then she heard small sniffles from the other end of the bond; like someone was trying not to cry. She looked around for Lura, ready to tell her to smack her brother for her, but no one was around. While she was lecturing Saol, she and Natsu had gone back to the spirit world.

As if Lura could sense her thoughts, she heard a yelp of pain through her link with Saol, and her voice came through, amused and laughing, _“Princess, your thoughts got mixed up with the link again, I heard you lecturing Saol and wanting me to hit him, so I did.”_

 _“Really? Damn, I thought I had a hold on it. Wait. What do you mean, again…?”_ She asked suspiciously.

More laughing made its way through the bond, this time Natsu joined in, _“Luce, you keep singing while you bathe, it’s hilarious.”_ He snickered.

Lucy flushed a bright red, mortified at the thought.

 _“You also tend to make snarky comments about your guildmates, the one called Gray, especially; I remember you commenting once, ‘No. No, don’t you come over here, you perverted exhibitionist. ’, and more than once on Erza’s lack of tact, you said, ‘Don’t just slam people into your breastplate, we like to live, you know!? You’ll give us brain damage!’.”_ The giggles turned into full-blown laughter as Amanzi recounted her experiences with the link.

_“Guys, Nooo,” she whined petulantly._

The laughter continued as she made her way to the train, having arrived at the town after collecting the reward earlier.  
He had looked surprised at having only one mage show up, not expecting a Celestial Spirit mage to be able to defeat all of the Wyrms.

They continued to prod at her the rest of the way there; Happy had fallen asleep in her arms halfway through her continued commentary.

* * *

Natsu exploded from his key in a burst of fire, and Lucy was immediately worried, “What, what happened?”

All he said was, “He’s retreated to his key.” She knew what that meant, but she didn't want to believe it. Didn't want to believe she was the cause of it.

He held her close as she gripped the now freezing-cold key. Usually warm from the magic running through them.

Making their way to the guild was something she didn’t remember, focusing just enough to hand the carcasses over to Laki, before making her way home in a daze, Natsu guiding her.

She sat on her bed, staring at the wall blankly, she wondered, _‘How much of his magic did he use? For him to have to retreat to his key, he must’ve used a lot. Did he use his own because he knew I was low? The amount of magic he must’ve used was probably astronomical, considering how many Wyrms he held down and how pale he looked earlier.’_

Natsu watched the look on his summoner’s face as it morphed from wonder to substantial concern and he knew what she was thinking. He made his way over to sit next to her on the bed and spoke softly, “He said he’ll be back tomorrow right? Saol always keeps his promises, so you’ll see him soon.”

Nodding blankly, she stood and mechanically went through her nightly routine, Natsu always there to help.

She hadn’t realized she had fallen asleep and looked around to see it was still night, Natsu had disappeared sometime while she was sleeping.

Catching a glance at her calendar told her that it was not, in fact, the same night, but two days later, she snapped her hand to her key ring, trying to feel any type of warmth, but all she felt was ice.

The key in her hand had gone dull and rusted, no longer silver and green, but brown and grey, having lost its colour, and she gasped, the full events of two days before hitting her.

Scrambling about her apartment for a cord of some sort to tie around her neck so she’d know exactly when he recovered, she discovered a thin, braided gold necklace of her mother’s. She threaded his key onto it, showing boldly over her collarbone, looking like a rusted house key.


	8. Really?

Lucy had finally started coming out of her shell, taking missions with Team Natsu - The pyromaniac had strutted around town all day the first time someone had mentioned it. Everyone else was snickering over the bond whenever it came up. But ironically, no one had yet realized Lucy technically owned him.

(That was both a good and bad thing, for the chaos they'd incur when it came out would be terrifying.)

They had managed to convince Lucy to take this particular job, a hunt for a dark guild, and her role would be to scout the place out, with Lura, who was previously inconsolable, and for now, two months and counting, wouldn't speak to her.

Lura did and did not blame her, she knew Saol had chosen to do it and was prepared to accept the consequences of nearly using up his magic pool, but she couldn't help but blame Lucy for forcing him to retreat to his key to heal.

So, she simply didn't speak to her; she still would listen and do as asked, would even be friendly. But, she wouldn't talk, not until her brother recovered. Lucy knew this, and she didn't blame her, not like she expected her to, only accepting it and moving on as if she had been mute the whole time, talking in taps of the arm, and intentions through the bond.

She summoned her when they arrived at the town they were supposed to be in if the information was correct, and Lucy asked, "Could you search the town for dark mages please?"

Lura only nodded, which was customary by now and crouched until she balanced on the balls of her feet, hands buried in the earth. She sent back the impression of 'Searchandfind' and the feeling of darkness, and the sensation of _'Slimedownyourspine'_ and _'Watchingfromthedarkness'_ she usually got from dark mages. Drawing the number 72 in the dirt and making a to-scale model of the base out of the earth.

It had three floors, most of the mages on the bottom floor - signified by the vaguely human lump of dirt littering the floor. The second floor only had about ten or so mages, so it was probably the floor for the mages who weren't lackeys. The last and final level only had one. The master - judging by the office-like layout of the room.

* * *

It was a little while later, Erza had gone to speak with the client, Gray was fighting with Natsu, and Happy was sleeping in her arms. Lura had gone back to the spirit world earlier, so she took the opportunity to memorize Gray's aura, so she can locate him if needed. He felt like _'Coldfuryrunningthroughyourveins'_ , it surprised her, he didn't look like he was particularly angry about things, only fond annoyance at Natsu and his fight and insults, and a bit of shame about his stripping habits.

Erza felt both like she had expected and different, _'Sacrificialvictory'_ , she'd expected some sort of sword or victory feeling, and she had that, but it was the sacrificial part that made her frown. Erza had probably won a battle of some kind, but the losses were too heavy to make it feel she had won at all.

Lucy was concerned for both of them; on the other hand, Happy's aura never failed to make her smile. It was the peaceful feeling of _'Foodandfriends'_ , like when you were with people you genuinely care about, and nothing was wrong, just a big pile of pleasant emotions. It was very appropriate.

Thinking about auras never failed to turn her thoughts to Saol and his words about how she felt like a 'Star ready to explode' going supernova at the slightest push. It always reminded her of Zivel, a star shining so bright, so overpowering, that it disappeared when it finished, fading from existence.

The bright glare of sunlight bouncing off Erza's breastplate, violently wrenched her from her thoughts, the shine nearly blinding her. She announced that the client knew we had accepted, and we were free to do what was needed. Lamenting on the fact that Saol wasn't available, her hand came up to touch his key. She knew she needed to stop relying on him for everything and using her other spirits, so she doesn't get dependant and predictable. She thought about it while they were making their way through the forest around the hall, before deciding that Taurus and Virgo would be best. Taurus for battle power, and Virgo for digging holes and chaining them up once they finished.

They decided that Natsu would make a grand entrance with her and Gray, while Erza went off to battle the master. Happy going with her in case she needed to get out fast. It was the most common plan of attack they had because it was both the most efficient and reliable.

As Natsu hurled a 'Fire Dragon's Roar' at the doors, Gray summoned an ice bazooka, and she brought her whip to her hand. Hopefully, things were hectic enough that they wouldn't notice the alterations.

The battle was surprisingly easy, Natsu was knocking out opponents to and fro along with Taurus, Gray froze his opponents in ice, and she whipped her victims over towards the ever-growing pile at the back of the room.

There was a particularly tricky opponent who used shadow magic; she was able to sink into a shadow and teleport behind her, she was also able to freeze her shadow, stopping her in her tracks.

She took her out quite spectacularly, three or four flying bodies hitting your head will do that.

They finished just before Erza knocked out their master, dragging him down two flights of steps just for her to throw him onto one of the piles of unconscious mages seemed a bit harsh, but hey, it was Erza.

Fishing out a flare to summon the magic council with, she let it off when all the mages were tied up and in a hole Virgo had dug. But she suddenly froze - and recognizing the feeling as when the shadow mage had trapped her - she started sinking into the floor. She couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't even summon a modicum of magic, and she watched as her teammates turned around just to see her disappear entirely and Natsu briefly explode into flames, reforming seconds afterwards.

* * *

Evidently, whenever someone who is not the mage, will fall unconscious when teleporting via shadows because when she woke up, it wasn't to her bed or even one of the infirmary cots. It was to a cold, stone floor, in a cell, to near-total darkness.

Her keys were gone, even Saol's tied around her neck, the cell was magic proof, evidently not taking their chances with even a celestial spirit mage.

As she stood up, she heard the screeching of metal against rock, and she looked down to see Saol's currently broken key under her foot, apparently being determined so by the people who kidnapped her.

She sat in the near darkness for a while, eating some not mouldy bread and filling soup - she was being taken care of by someone - until heavy shoes thumped down the hallway. The sound eventually being turned into low talking, whether to themselves or someone else she couldn't tell.

The low talking eventually became two distinct voices, an extravagant, happy male, and a serious, stern female. They stopped in front of her cell, introducing themselves as, "The people you'll belong to for a good while." She mentally scoffed, as if these guys would own her.

He explained the rules in a happy tone, "As long as you do what we say, you'll get good food, and we won't punish your spirits. Okay?"

Her eyes widened. _'They couldn't possibly do that!? Could they?'_

"I assure you; it is perfectly within our capabilities to do that to your spirits. Listen to what we tell you, and they won't get hurt." The female spoke next, in a low confident tone that told her she was used to getting what she wants.

"First thing, no talking unless someone speaks first. If you _are_ talked to, you are to respond as promptly as possible as respectfully as possible, even to low-level grunts and servants.  
Second thing, you are to follow three steps behind at all times.  
Third thing, you are not to use magic at any time - not that you _can_ , the coliseum and cell have magic-blocking runes surrounding them." She filed away the snide comment for later.  
"Fourth thing, if you do not abide by these rules, well, I'm sure you can imagine." She continued with a smirk.

Lucy stayed silent, and the man lashed out, hitting the bars of the wall separating them, "Did you not hear her? If someone speaks to you, you must respond as quickly as possible with as much respect as possible!" 

She bowed her head. She would play along for a while, at least until she found a way to escape. "Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir." She turned to the woman, "Deepest apologies Madam, I was merely processing your words, Madam."

The man responded harshly. "Good, now follow me." He turned on his heel after unlocking her cell door.

As she followed the demanded three steps behind, he led her to a large iron door with no handle or lock, and when he twisted his hand, she entered a room filled with as many weapons as she could think of, and he said, "Pick one, and then a backup. You'll be fighting soon." Lucy demurely lowered her head and headed for the selection of weapons, trying to find one that was similar to the one formed out of her magic. She found the closest match after perusing the assortment for a few minutes. It bore black for the handle and thong, with a spearhead tip in a bright red the colour of flames, with the detailing to match.

Her backup was a small short sword that she placed at the curve of her back, and he led her to a door across from the one she entered, this one the same clinical white and silver, but with rows upon rows of clothes, the man said again, "Pick one, and then another, be cautious, you don't get to pick again. We'll replace them when ruined, but it'll be the same outfits each day." She assumed to fight in considering they were all sporting outfits, loose enough to fight in, but tight enough not to get caught on anything.

She decided on having wrappings around her chest, a thin, light blue long-sleeved shirt, gold three-quarter leggings and a golden sports skirt. Her other outfit was the same light blue shirt but with no sleeves and black shorts and skirt.

He led her to a changing area and returned to where he was standing by the door, giving her privacy. When she finished, the clothes she was previously wearing in a bag to throw out and her other outfit in her arms. She followed the man again to another door opposite to the one they entered through, only this time, she didn't see glowing white and gleaming silver rooms, but a coliseum, with a barred door to her left.

She entered a side door she hadn't noticed and was surprised to see her cell. "You'll stay here until called," And walked off, leaving her alone.

Sighing, she looked over her home for the time being. It had what was necessary, with a bed, toilet, sink and a tub off to the side.

Only alone for another ten or so minutes, the side door she had entered through was banged on violently and was shoved open when she didn't answer. A rough-looking man - who may've been a mercenary, she didn't feel much magic in him - grabbed her by the arm, "Listen here girlie, you win, you live, you lose, you die, got it?" She kept her head lowered respectfully, "Yes, Sir."

"If you don't kill, bad things happen. To both you and 'yer little spirits." She had a feeling he wasn't talking about not getting any food. "Yes, Sir." And she was shoved roughly into the coliseum.

A booming voice played over the lacrima, "Hello, Everybody!" There were loud cheers, "We've got a new player today! She's a blond mage from the guild, Fairy Tail!" Boos and jeers followed the statement, "She'll whip you into shape, then carve you up with her sword, it's, Spirit!" A mix of jeers and cheers followed that one, "And she's fighting with one of our oldest recruits, our poison master, with claws as sharp as blades, Cobra!"

Lucy recognized the name, but she couldn't remember where from, not at least until he stepped out of his gate. "Uncle Erik?" she murmured under her breath, he caught it and yanked his head up to meet her eyes. He didn't recognize her immediately, but when he did, a shocked and confused expression flitted over his face, "Lucy?"


	9. Eta Draconis

Meeting the man in front of her was the last thing she expected. He had disappeared when her mother died, and she assumed he was also dead or couldn't face her in his grief. But now, with him standing right there, she noticed small things; One, he hadn't changed at all. Two, he felt like a spirit. And Three, he was still staring in shock as the behemoth loped towards his unprotected back.

Her whip lashed out towards the not-quite horns on the demon – but it went right through the mass of screaming, black souls, that had probably died horribly, considering the haunted looks on their faces – intending to yank the monster away from its course.

When her attack failed, she flicked her wrist to guide the whip to grab onto Erik and fling him out of its path.

Now missing its intended target, it changed course to the nearest living thing, her.

As it charged, she saw a flash of sickly purple, so dark it nearly blended in with the black, embedded in the back of its neck.

The pitch-black demon, looked to be based on a Vulcan, with it standing up on muscled legs, a thick torso, four arms and a head with two spiralling horns, curling their way to the sides of its face, almost like tusks.

Erik, because she refused to call him Cobra, at least not inwardly, finally snapped out of his reverie. He darted over from where she had flung him, by the commentator's box, over to her, and sneered, not a hint of recognition in his tone or face, "There's a purple orb in the back of its neck, stab it." And he darted off again to catch its attention before she could say she knew already.

"Oi, ya big ugly demon, look at me!" he shouted before it could trample her.

With its side facing her, she could see the purple orb, pulsing with dark magic, and she swung her whip up to the interwoven chain-link web over her head, hauling herself into the air.

Flying in the air, she drew her short sword from its sheath at the small of her back and landed on the giant orb, at least three times as wide as she was tall. She drove her sword into the middle of the lacrima and pulling herself off the beast when it started leaking unrestrained dark magic, some of it attaching itself to her before she could get out of there.

She met up with Erik in the centre, watching as the demon, beast, whatever, self-destructed, the souls it was made of, dissipating before they could do anything, leaving the arena free of anything demon or soul related.

No longer caught up in her thoughts or the fight, the sounds of cheering and jeers registered, the announcer screaming, "And they've done it! Our very own Cobra and Spirit have defeated the Dyr! And in only Ten minutes no less! For those of you who don't know, they rank somewhere around C-B rank, being one of the harder monsters we have in our arsenal!" He announced.

The screaming irritated her, she just wanted to go back to her bed in her apartment, do missions with her team and spirits, and catch up with Uncle Erik. Was that too much to ask?

Apparently, it was, because as soon as they had finished fighting, the large iron-barred doors heaved themselves off the ground, showing the many steel doors that led to their cells.

They were grabbed roughly by the arms and pushed into the corridor; the iron bars slamming shut behind them.

* * *

It had been weeks, weeks of the same thing every day, get led into the arena, fight a demon, sometimes with sometimes without Erik, win, and get led into her cell. It was becoming annoyingly repetitive, but she finally experienced what most of her guildmates feel when fighting, exhilaration.

She started relishing the fight, getting hooked on the adrenalin, even going so far as to wait eagerly by the door as they fetched her for her next battle.  
Her hopes of rescue dwindled to next to nothing by the end of three weeks, twenty-one fights of increasingly harder difficulty, she kept jumping from ranks and fighting side-by-side Erik allowed her to battle even harder opponents.

It was at the end of the fourth week, nearly a month since she had been captured when Saol's key around her neck started to warm, not from her body temperature, but from the magic pulsing from the bond.

Shooting up from her poor excuse for a bed, she immediately risked a tiny tendril of magic from her core, wrapping around the soul-bond and opening up a telepathy channel with the spirit.

 _"Saol! I'm so glad you're up!"_ She sent as soon as the link connected, but she didn't focus all her attention on her newly awakened spirit, she was also looking around for any sign of using her magic had set off an alarm.

 _"Please don't summon yourself, I'd love to see you, but unfortunately, I'm being watched for any sign of magic, so we'll have to limit ourselves to this."_ She rushed, still looking around for any sign of being detected.

He responded immediately, _"Princess, how did you manage to get yourself captured in only a day?"_ He spoke teasingly.

She felt a little guilty telling him, but she couldn't hide it. _"Actually Saol, you've been in your key for three months… Lura hadn't talked to me for the two before I got captured."_ She said softly.

His voice sounded so broken, so, guilty, _"Really…? Three months…"_ He trailed off.

 _"So, you haven't seen anyone in a month? And Lura hasn't spoken to you for the whole time you were with them? Princess, are you alright?"_ He asked slowly.

Lucy grimaced, _"That's almost but not quite right, I met someone I knew a long time ago. Actually, you might know him, Cobra? Or you might know him as Erik. He was an uncle of mine when I was a child, but when Mamma died, he disappeared, and no one could remember him, so I thought he was just a figment of my imagination. But, now I've met him again, and I know he's a spirit. Both because he hasn't changed at all, and because he doesn't feel human, he feels like you guys."_ She corrected.

Saol didn't answer for a while, but when she asked if he was alright, he responded with, _"Yeah, I'm fine, it's just, Cobra is notorious for hating being a spirit, he even hid his key just so no one would summon him, and he spent most if not all his time in the human world."_

 _"Really? He didn't seem like the type of guy to spend most of his time out of the Spirit World. Though he always did to actively avoid human contact, well, except for Mamma and I."_ She commented.

His response was cut off when the steel door was banged on quite roughly, as per usual, and she made her way to the door, so she didn't get dragged down the hallway. It seemed this time she was fighting with Erik, and once they were out in the familiar arena, she asked him, "Do you know Saol?"

Erik froze up, reminding her of the first time they met, and he eyed her suspiciously, "How do you know that name?"

She discretely pulled Saol key out from underneath her shirt, no longer rusted and dull, "Did I forget to tell you? I'm a Celestial Spirit wizard." She chirped.

He scowled, "Yes, I gathered. Still doesn't explain how you knew that name."

"I have Four Draconis Spirits, like you. Saol, Amanzi, Lura and Natsu." She chirped again, turning to face the demon they were facing.

At her answer, he relaxed, and focused on the fight, "Did you know I was a spirit the first time we met? How did you know? And does anybody else know?" He questioned distractedly as he leapt towards the C-Rank beast.

Chuckling at his line of rapid-fire questions, "Yes I did know you weren't human; I have contracts with two sensor types, I could sense your aura, and no, I don't think so, if they did, it wouldn't be because I told them." She answered cheekily, ducking under a swipe from the giant feline's foreleg.

They settled into a comfortable rhythm; one they had done quite a few times now. She would distract it, and when the beast's attention switched, she would attack the orb under its jaw.

After defeating whatever beast usually brought out guards to take them back to their cells, but this time nothing happened, and she was confused, until the commentator said, "Now ladies and gentlemen, our special event has finally arrived!" Cheers exploded from the seating areas above them, "Our fighters, Spirit and Cobra have a different task today! Instead of going back to their boring old cells to recuperate, they will be fighting our very own, Lady and Lord Hallitar!"

The man and woman from the VIP box jumped down into the arena, causing large whooping and cheering to erupt from the seating, far more than when the special event was announced.

She vaguely recognized them as the people who she saw when she first woke up in her cell, _'Huh, so they're the people who run this shit.'_ She thought. The announcer continued, "If Cobra and Spirit manage to win against them, they will be released with no strings attached! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, only being offered to those who impress them! Only twice has this been offered, and twice they have failed! Our contestants will be allowed to use magic in this fight, to give them the best possible chance!" At his last sentence, her keys were thrown down, and the pale runes restricting magic written on the walls were lifted.

Diving for her keys and using her whip to attach them to herself, she called up her magic, replacing the one she wrapped around her waist, beside her, Erik dropped his metal claws, allowing his magic to change his hands into real claws with scales climbing up to his shoulders.

Already, her magic was getting restless, finally being used after three months, urging her to unleash Zivel, to obliterate her opponents, to use Dvasia.

Barely hearing the announcer, she launched herself at the male, trusting Erik to take care of the female. He was ready for her, a shield made from glowing orange hexagons blocking her whip, the protection faded away and he unsheathed a giant halberd, the silver pike and axe-head gleaming in the afternoon sunlight.

He swung it at her, faster than she expected, he didn't look nearly strong enough to even lift it, let alone use it one-handedly. The axe cut her face as she ducked under the spear, leaving a thin line of blood over her nose.

Risking a glance at Erik's fight, she saw he wasn't doing any better, the woman preferring long-range combat, and she knew she had made the right choice, they had far better odds at winning against opposing range specialists than trying to battle with the same type.

She had looked a bit too long, the halberd swinging at her again, this time she was ready, and managed to get out of the way. Knowing she had to make some distance between them, she backpedalled until she could swing her whip up to the chain net overhead, reminiscent of her first fight.

He didn't expect his opponent to suddenly swing around behind him, earning him a vicious kick to the spine, slamming him into the wall. She kept her distance, lashing her sharpened tip at the man's back.

Once he was down and out for good, she looked over to her partner's fight, he had managed to get close to her, and he took advantage of most long-range combat specialist's weakness, fighting up-close and personal. With a haymaker to the side of the head, she was knocked out cold, turning the audience speechless.

Erik made his way over to her, "Good job, you've gotten much better at magicless combat, you didn't really need it anyway, defeating him without a single spell." She was shocked at his compliment, he had never once said the words, 'Good Job' to anyone. Ever. But she realized he was right, she hadn't used one bit of magic, apart from her whip.

The commentator was still speechless, so she yelled up at him, "Hey! Are you going to honour your deal or what? Let us go already!"

That jolted him out of his shocked staring, and he looked towards the people he got his orders from, laying on the ground unconscious, so he decided to let them go, they had won after all, "Yeah. Yeah, you can go." and the iron bars lifted.

They walked past the unending walls of steel doors, no doubt holding more prisoners until they came up to a small, wooden door. It, when opened, would lead them outside, free to go anywhere they wished. She looked towards Cobra, ready to ask him where he would go, but he cut her off, "Ya don't mind if I come with ya, do ya?" and handed her his key, silver like the others, with acid purple eye-like designs covering it.

She stood there blankly until his words processed, and she jumped at him like she was a kid again, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. She let go soon after, knowing he didn't like contact very much, preferring to stay away from people in general.

The guard who escorted them to the door, made his way past them, shoving a big bronze key into the equally as big lock, opening it, and letting her see the outside world for the first time in three months, and for how knows long in Erik's case.

Once they were outside, the door shut behind them, and once they were past the treeline, she summoned her magic to the key still in her hand and said, "Rise, Eta Draconis, and give me the strength to vanquish those I call my enemies!" A bubbling purple and gold light exploded from the man in front of her like a beaker overflowing.

When the light died down, a small tattoo of his key appeared under his jaw, near his pointed ear. The metallic silver gleaming in the low light of the forest.


	10. Oh Lucy

As they made their way through the forest, her Draconis Keys pulled themselves out into the open air in front of them, summoning themselves in a line.  
Natsu, Saol, Amanzi, and Lura appeared in a glow of their respective colours, expanding into their forms.

Saol and Lura wrapped their arms around each other like the strongest pythons, never letting go of each other, Natsu launched himself at Lucy with a cry of, "Luce!" and Amanzi slowly made her way over to her to join the hug.

They sat there for what could've been a minute, or far longer than that, no one was keeping track. Erik was off to the side, awkwardly avoiding what would be lethal social interaction.

Amanzi untangled herself, the pile including the two siblings, and made her way over to Erik, starting a silent conversation in the shade of a tree.  
Once they were all satisfied with the amount of contact they had with the two, missing people, they extracted themselves and sat in a circle, bombarding her and Erik with questions.

Natsu was first, "Luce, what did you have to do?" He asked softly.

Instead of answering question after question, she decides to tell them the story and answer questions later.

She made a snide comment about Erik's name, and Natsu looked both happy and concerned about how she started to get hooked on the adrenaline. Saol was proud when they fought for their freedom, winning without needing magic.

Lura spoke up first, and she was pleasantly surprised to hear her voice again, apart from the sobs from earlier, "So, you've gotten stronger?" She sounded thrilled at the prospect.

She side-eyed the woman with a look of concern, but also with excitement.

"Princess, just how on earth did you to manage to charm the most antisocial spirit among us? He's had only one contract the entire time we've existed…" Saol said next, sounding exasperated.

Lucy giggled, simply smiling behind a hand, and the stares turned towards Erik, demanding an explanation.

"I raised her when Layla was sick; her father was ignoring her in favour of his work. I was with her so long I nearly replaced him." That was all he said on the subject, crossing his arms, and ignoring the disbelieving stares.

The stares turned back to Lucy, who giggled again and said nothing.

Amanzi went to ask next, but her question was cut off by Natsu, shouting, "Fight me!"

Her eyes shot to his, gleaming with enthusiasm. They looked almost like magma, the dark colour glowing with the orange and red light of his magic.

She looked around and asked the twins if there were any villages or people around, they hesitantly answered in the negative.

He was still looking at her enthusiastically, hope showing on his face, body tense in preparation of a fight.

Her only answer was pulling up her magic to form a whip and swinging away into the tree's, leaving her dumbfounded spirits behind.

She knew Natsu would catch up eventually, with his nose leading him and his enhanced speed, she wouldn't have a lot of time to run. Once he got over himself, he would find her in minutes, so she had to find a clearing, fast. She wouldn't be able to use her whip properly in the trees.

Swinging her whip from branch to branch, she pulled herself along much faster than she would've running, her ears perked up when she heard Natsu crashing through the trees behind her, catching up to her.

He was nearly on top of her when she saw a large clearing to her right, and she madly rushed out to the middle.

The Fire Draconis emerged from the trees only minutes behind her, not at all sweaty or out of breath.

Watching as he calmly made his way over to her, standing just a few meters away, and slipped into a fighting stance waiting for her to catch her breath.

She readied her whip, bringing it to her side, the thong pooling on the ground at her feet.

They stared at each other, not shifting even a muscle as they waited silently for the others to catch up.

Turning their heads in sync as rustling sounded from the tree line, the branches and roots making a clear path made by Saol.

On a silent signal, they shot towards each other, having an unspoken agreement not to use magical attacks, her whip was an exception.

Natsu slid into a leg sweep, and Lucy jumped to avoid it, swinging her leg out in a kick to his face. Leaning back into a handspring, he kicked out his leg, hitting her in the calf.  
She stumbled back as he jumped forward from his crouch and swung a haymaker to her stomach, she flipped back, wrapping her whip around his wrist, and sending more magic down it, burning his arm. He snatched his wrist to his chest as she used her whip to send him flying across the clearing, and she watched as he slid across the grass.

He lit his hands on fire in retaliation to her move and darted back into close range, sending an uppercut to her jaw, as she dodged, she flipped into a handspring, kicking out with both feet into his chest, sending him stumbling backwards. The fire on his hands left a stinging mark on her cheek, but it wasn't serious. She grabbed the opportunity to whip the blade on the end of the thong in a slicing motion towards his face, trying to block his sight with blood. He ducked the attack and darted into close range again, his left hand tensed to send a powerful haymaker to her side. She spun her torso so the swing would brush past her stomach, whipping her weapon in a figure-eight pattern to block his incoming assault.

Her attack made him back off, allowing her to send her weapon in once again to slice his face. As the whip cut through the air, he readied his magic into a roar, and just as he unleashed it, a wall of dirt, vines and water blocked their attacks. When the steam from the fire and water meeting stopped blocking his sight, he noticed the attack Lucy had sent him had cut through the vine wall and had made it halfway through the packed earth. He realized that the attack was far more likely to slice his head off than his fire doing any damage to her.

They slid out of their ready positions and made their way over to the other spirits, a mad gleam still in Lucy's eyes. Natsu shot her a concerned look, that attack was looking to kill, and the other Draconis knew it, even he didn't at the time.

Sitting down on the edge of the treeline out of the heat of the sun, Amanzi spoke up, "Princess, what was that last attack?" she asked cautiously.

Lucy looked confused, "What do you mean? I was getting rid of my opponent."

"Exactly why we're concerned, your opponent was Natsu, and you were going to kill him with that attack." She spoke as if she was talking to a child.

She still looked confused, but then realization coloured her face, then she whipped her head to Natsu in shock, "Was I really aiming to kill him?" She asked brokenly.

Natsu was still looking at her in concern, and although no words were said, the silence was all she needed to answer her question, and she crumpled into his lap with tears streaming from her eyes, begging for forgiveness.

Staying like that for a while, they sandwiched a sobbing Lucy in the middle of a group hug.

Eventually, they disentangled themselves, elbows and knees jamming into uncomfortable places as they extracted themselves, Erik watched the spectacle with a smirk on his face.

They walked to the guild, both to avoid the motion sickness that afflicted the Draconis and to get in a couple more spars to adjust Lucy back to non-lethal combat.

Magnolia's edges came in sight after nine days of walking and Lucy teared up upon seeing her home, one she hadn't seen in nearly six weeks.

Fairy Tail's massive wooden doors were spotted as they walked through the markets and Lucy ran ahead, taking a page out of Natsu's book, slamming them open with a flying kick.

The scene that greeted her wasn't pretty, her guild members were either despondently sulking around the tables, or morosely ordering another drink from the bar, to get even further drunk.

Gray is fully clothed and sprawled out on the steps to the upper level, Erza is passed out at the bar with her face in her half-eaten cake, and Happy is nowhere in sight. Only a couple of people look up from their sulking, faces not expecting the group of five at the door, and definitely not the blond-haired wizard at the front.

Confusion spread across their faces, then disbelief, and finally, hope.

One of her guildmates hesitantly called out, "Lucy?" The name making several more heads pop up, like meerkats.

More voices called out the same question, causing a chain reaction leading to a dissonant noise of cheers, seats screeching on the wooden floors and footsteps thundering towards the mage and her spirits.

They crash into her, sending her flying out the doors and landing on the cobblestone street, covering her in the sobbing bodies of her guildmates. She really should have expected this, Natsu had done it, why wouldn't they?

The pile continues to smother her, until someone shifts and suddenly she can's breath. She starts panicking, thinking 'Natsu, Saol, Erik, someone, I can't breathe!' and the pressure lifted slowly, people being torn off her by her alarmed spirits.

Once everyone is off of her, and she can breathe again, the questions start, "Where were you?" and "What did you have to do?" and "Are you alright?" as well as "How did you escape?", and she can't keep up with the rapid-fire interrogation.

A booming voice cuts off anymore, the crowd parting for the tiny master, followed by her relieved teammates. Erza crushes her against her armoured chest as Gray stands off to the side, a hand on her shoulder.

Master asks her to tell them what happened, and as she tells her story, her spirits sit with her, all of them touching her in support.

When she finished, the silence echoed throughout the building, shock and horror permeating their thoughts as they process what had happened to their Nakama.


	11. Punching the Celestial Spirit King

She just wants to go home and soak in her bath; fed up with the emotional rollercoaster that was her life. First, Saol retreats to his key; then she gets kidnapped. Then she meets her long-lost uncle, they have to fight numerous demon-beasts, Saol heals, escaping, painful training, she gets smothered by overzealous guildmates, and everyone starts sobbing. She just wants to have a hot bath, and sleep for a year, or two, but no, Natsu wanted to take a job.

Although the job didn't sound too hard, just filling in for a runaway play cast, she greatly overestimated her team's acting skills. Erza had a shocking amount of stage-fright for someone who was so self-assured, and Natsu and Gray started fighting while they were performing, dragging Erza into it and destroying the stage.

Afterwards, they take another job, straight after they return from the disaster that was the play, taking down some thieves, which was thankfully in their skillset, but somehow, she manages to get kidnapped, again. Loke saves her, which was weird, but she was grateful. And then, Natsu suggests a pillow-fight, a violent one, destroying their hotel room.

She was taking a walk with Plue, exhausted from dodging the flying pillows and she is surprised when she runs into Loke, she had thought he had gone home already.

He pulls her into a hug, mumbling into her ear, "I don't have much longer to live", barely audible over the ruckus coming from her team's room.

Wrapped in the hug, she looks down to his core, a softly glowing mass of magic. The ordinarily bright ball, darkened, the glow hardly visible.

The feeling of, _'Lightpushingbackshadows'_ washed over her as she probed the ball, a new trick she had learned from the training after escaping the arena, testing to see how much magic he had. She nearly gasped when she felt how much he had left, barely an eighth, dangerously low for any typical mage, and he was walking around and talking like normal.

When he made to pull back, she whispered into his ear, "I know. Leo." And she backed off as he went rigid in shock.

He was staring with wide eyes, muscles frozen as he processed what she meant. "Wh-What? What do you mean, Leo? My name's Loke." He tried to deny it; it wasn't working.

She smiled gently and said, "Exactly what it means, you, Leo, are stuck here and are running out of magic."

His shoulders slumped, accepting her words, "Yeah." He sighed, "You're right. Although, how did you know?" He asked.

Giggling, she asked, "Silly, haven't you heard of the twins, Saol and Lura and what it means for their summoner? I have empathetic abilities, and I'm able to sense life signatures."

Eyes widened even further, "You have both Saol and Lura? How?" He asked incredulously.

"I found Saol in a magic shop, and Everlue had Lura alongside Virgo." She didn't reveal her other spirits, wanting to see his reaction when he found out she had three more.

"You mean to tell me; you found a Draconis Key in an ordinary magic shop? When they're even rarer than the Zodiac? So much so that they're nearly a myth!?" His voice was steadily getting higher and higher.

"Yes." She replied simply.

He very nearly screeched, flailing limbs like a headless chicken. He eventually calmed down and asked fanatically, "Can I see your keys?"

She watched, amused; as she handed over the keys, he snatched them as a child would with a favourite toy, bringing them up to his face to marvel over them.

Saol opened up a link with her, _"Princess why is my key not with you anymore? Have you been kidnapped again?"_ He asked exasperatedly.

 _"No no, I just have a very enthusiastic fanboy in front of me by the name of Leo. He couldn't believe I possessed Lura and yours' keys, and he was running around madly earlier. I'm sure if you came out, he would screech."_ She commented, laughing.

Lura spoke before he could reply, a mischievous tone as she talked, _"Oh now I want to see this."_ The earth beside her rumbled as a pillar made its way up, crumbling around the edges to build features, and on her left side, vines and grass erupted, weaving together to make her other spirit.

While her spirits emerged from their respective elements, she watched as Loke looked ecstatic to be meeting what must be his idols, nearly frothing at the mouth as they finished forming.

Leaping at them, he rambles about anything and everything, but always keeping a respectful distance from them, only looking, never touching, until Saol and Lura each slung an arm around his shoulders.

She swears he nearly went catatonic.

* * *

Hours later, when Loke had finally finished asking any questions he had for them, and he had calmed down and, explaining why he was in the Human World, she spoke, softly at first, then she started getting louder as she went on, "What is up with these stupid rules? Who made them in the first place? If they were still alive, I'd go and punch them in the face, stupid pricks. It's like they want spirits to be like tools, with their rules about, 'You must do as your master asks' and 'You must never put your master in danger, directly or indirectly'. Idiots. Was it the Celestial Spirit King? If it was, I'm punching him; it doesn't matter if he's a king or not. Planting suicidal thoughts in my friends, how dare he?" She ranted. "Was it? The Celestial Spirit King?" She asked as she turned to him, paying no mind to his shocked face.

She continued ranting when she received no answer. Saol and Lura were watching amusedly from the side-lines, having been on the receiving end of what her spirits like to call 'Lucy's mother-hen mode'.

Erik stopped her train of thought by appearing in a cloud of poison from the small glass bottle she kept on her, next to the fireproof black glass she kept a little flame in, supported by a lacrima.

Loke launched into hysterics again at the new arrival, but he stopped when Amanzi appeared beside him, making him pass out.

Lucy turned to the spirits, unable to keep a smile off her face as she asked, "Really now, was that necessary?" while Loke twitched on the ground.

All four of her spirits smirked and said nothing to her question.

* * *

They were finally on their way back to the guild, Natsu groaned on her lap while Erza stroke up a conversation, "I have some questions about Erik, do you mind if I ask them?"

"Of course not! But if he isn't comfortable with me sharing, then I won't." She answers.

She opened up a link with the Draconis and asked, _"Do you mind answering some things for Erza? You don't have to of course, and I won't share anything you aren't comfortable with her knowing."_

Clicking his tongue, he answered, _"Whatever, I don't mind."_

"He doesn't mind answering, so go ahead and ask whatever you like." She told her.

Erza's face was grave, "Does he remember the Tower of Heaven?" She was blunt.

Lucy didn't hear a response, but before she could ask if he heard her question, she felt the strange sensation of opening up a telepathy channel.

Erik's voice was harsh as he snarled, _"Where did you hear that name?"_

The Requip user looked startled at the question, not at all surprised at the voice in her head, _"For years I was imprisoned in that tower, but even though it's been so long, I won't forget the dark-haired man who saved us."_

The link was silent, but she knew he wasn't gone because she could hear the distressed breathing from his end. When he spoke again, he asked softly, _"You? You were one of them? The children?"_

She didn't understand, but Erza did, from the look on her face, she didn't expect him to remember her.

Lucy tuned out after Erza's nod, wanting to catch some semblance of rest. Although she was interested in the conversation, her exhaustion wouldn't let her focus, leading to blank looks and repeated questions.

Erik could sense his summoners fatigue, so he summoned himself to talk to Erza quietly in the corner of the carriage, letting Lucy sleep.

* * *

She woke to the jolt of a train slamming to a stop, having arrived at Magnolia station, Natsu pushed himself out of the corner he had slumped into, holding out a hand for her to pull herself up.

As they made their way through the large wooden doors of the guild, she spotted Loke chatting with Mirajane, hesitantly, he waved when she approached. The barmaid waved him off as he apologized, saying something she couldn't hear but could take a guess at, with how red his face was.

Sitting in a quiet corner of the guild, far away from eavesdroppers, she asked bluntly, "Why are you stuck here?"

He was taken aback with the question, but he eventually answered with, "My previous summoner, a Blue Pegasus mage, Karen, was abusive to Aries and the rest of her spirits. She would put them in the direct line of fire and would mistreat or directly hurt Aries. Karen was about to make Aries stay in the human realm for a whole week, which would have killed her. I couldn't let her do that, so I summoned myself in her place and demanded she terminates our contracts, and until she did, I would stay out in the human realm.  
Because I was here instead of the Spirit World, she couldn't summon any other spirits, stopping her from taking jobs. She used any way available to try and make me go back, even going as far to try and forcefully close my gate, but all her attempts failed. Eventually, in desperation, Karen took a job, trying to complete it without her spirits, and without us to fight for her, another Celestial Spirit Mage who was after her keys, killed her.  
The Celestial Spirit King forbade from returning home for inadvertently causing her death and violating our contract. Soon after, I disguised myself like this, and joined Fairy Tail as a mage."

Lucy was mostly silent during his explanation, only letting out small gasps every so often. She took a couple of moments to process what he had told her and askes "Do you know how much longer you have left?"

Smiling sadly, he tells her he only has about an hour or two. She shoots up from her seat and grabs his hand, dragging him out of the guild, demanding he tells her where the highest concentration of ethernano resides. He leads her to a small cliff facing a waterfall, where Karen's grave was.

Soon after they arrive, Loke starts to dissolve into a shower of golden light, and Lucy begins to panic, trying to come up with a way to save him when Saol's voice interrupts her mental flailing, _"Princess, call him out without his key as you do with us. Follow the bond you have with your Zodiacs and then find the connection between them, search for the one that feels like_ 'Lightpushingbackshadows' _and tie it to your magic. It won't be easy, but we all believe you can do it."_

She sunk into her core, identifying the bond connecting her and Aquarius, the strongest connection she had. Sending her consciousness down the thin thread to the ball of magic that felt like _'Waterundersunsetlight'_ and she strained to find the web of ties she had with the other Zodiacs. Finally finding the paper-thin connection she was looking for; she stretched the tendril of magic to wrap tightly around the speck of golden light. Heaving with the effort, she collapsed onto the stone, watching as the golden lights hovering in the air, solidified back into Loke, no longer in his green jacket, but wearing a black suit and red tie.

He stared at her, as she lay prone on the ground, nearly unconscious, phantom images of her spirits fading away from behind her.

A booming voice sounded from behind him, and as he spun around, his eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. The giant form of the Spirit King stood at the end of the cliff, arms crossed and face shadowed, his voice echoing as he says, **"Leo, you may not have killed Miss Lillica, but your actions caused her death, therefore violating the rules of our home and the guidelines of your contract. As such, I cannot allow you back to our home, old friend, and although I dearly wish to do so, I cannot bend the rules for anyone, not even you."**

Loke lowers his head as he accepts his fate, but Lucy's shout draws his attention, "Hey You! Yeah you, you big grumpy dick! I don't care if you're the Celestial Spirit King; protecting your friends is never wrong! And if you can't see that he only did what he did because he was protecting Aries, then I'm going to punch the shit out of you, Moustache Man!" She yells.

Erik had summoned himself to watch the show, knowing how protective Lucy was of Celestial Spirits, whether they were hers or not. Saol, Lura and Amanzi had also summoned themselves, ready to back up their summoner whenever she needed it.

The Celestial Spirit King may've been shocked, but she couldn't be sure, his face was still shadowed, and she jumped when he let out a laugh, shaking the cavern and knocking Loke off his feet. He replies to her declaration with, **"Really now? And what is a human of your size going to do to me? Climb over me like an ant?"** Erik saw Lucy's face turn an impressive shade of red, before seeing it settle into determination, with the tug of Zivel pulling at his core, he let himself dissolve into poison, settling into her magic like coming home after years away.

She glowed silver as the dragon formed out her magic, the new bond with Erik increasing both her size and capacity. The freely flowing magic in the shape of a dragon reached halfway up the King in front of her. At this height, she could see the shock and surprise on his face. She kicked off the ground, sending tremors through the cave, and leapt up to face the King, she flung a punch towards him, but gravity affected her faster than anticipated, and her punch connected with his chest.

Landing solidly on the ground, she sent a smirk up to the still frozen King and let go of the hold she had on her bonds. "Does that prove I'm serious?" She yelled up at him, sparing a glance at the Zodiac behind her, a laugh escaped her at his face; he had gone white, pale as sheets, his eyes were round as saucers, and his jaw was laying on the floor.

There was a long stretch of silence before anyone else spoke, she ignored the guffaws behind her and Natsu's questions about what happened. He joined the hysterical laughs when Amanzi sent him her memories of the event. 

**"I see. You weren't joking about 'Punching the shit out of me', but to answer your question, Yes. That does prove you are serious. But just how serious are you?"** She took the being releasing his immense magical power as an answer. On anyone else, he would've just released it. But, he was quite fascinated by this small human. So he decided to test her by focusing the bulk of his magic onto her frame. It caused the pressure around her to increase tenfold, and it sent her crashing to the ground.

He didn't let up as she struggled to stand, and just as she got to her knees, he increased the force around her, and she collapsed back to the ground. He was impressed that she managed to get to her knees the first time and he watched in interest as she struggled to get to her knees once again, managing only barely.

She was left panting as she knelt, desperate to prove herself to the King; her audience had gone silent as she struggled under his force. Resolved to not depend on her spirits, she used only her magic and body to shakily stand, head held high as she stared at the King.

Her spirits rushed to her as the pressure relented, magic settling back under the King's skin. Loke looked upon the blond mage in awe as she stood despite the force when he had knelt under the weight.

The Celestial Spirit King huffed in amusement, **"Since your actions were unintentional and in defence of Aries, I will allow you back home, but only if you atone by serving and protecting Miss Lucy until you cannot anymore."** He dissolves in a burst of magic and Loke's key materializes in Lucy's hand as he fades with a goodbye and a grateful smile.


	12. Spirits?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's late, I had no internet for the last few days. But, there will be a new chapter on the Sunday of the week after next.

She was getting really sick of waking up in the infirmary. After dealing with the Celestial Spirit King, she passed out in Natsu's arms; he had summoned himself after feeling the strain Lucy was under. Fortunately, he didn't interfere because he knew that Lucy thought she needed to prove herself, and she was immensely thankful he understood.

But still, she was sick of waking to the infirmary lights; it was the third time this month. Thankfully, the pain wasn't as bad this time, and if she remembered correctly this was the fourth out of the five times it would take to get used to the magic flooding her systems and core.

Natsu burst through the doors with a plate of food, having heard her heartbeat pick up, and immediately sat down in the chair beside her, launching into apologies about how he had accidentally summoned himself to her side while he was in the middle of the guild.

Interrupting his panicked jabbering, she sighed, "Natsu. Slow down. It was an accident, and besides, it was time to tell them anyways. Just calm down, I don't mind." She finished, and Gray and Erza similarly burst through the doors to Natsu, only this time they zeroed in on him instead of her, a mad gleam in their eyes. The doors opened again, Master Makarov and Mirajane entering much calmer than the other three.

Master levelled a look at the two who were hounding Natsu for answers, and they quieted as he asked, eyes still trained on the Ice and Requip mages, "Lucy, do you think you would be able to answer the questions the guild has? I haven't been able to do anything with the brats showing up at my door at all hours."

Closing her eyes and doing an evaluation of her pain levels and range of motion, she deemed herself alright to answer as many questions her guildmates could ask. Nodding her head firmly, she stepped off the cot and made her way out the doors and up the stairs to the second floor, where she would be able to address everybody.

Walking up to the second-floor balcony drew many stares; her bandages and the silver aura surrounding her attracted the curious gazes. Master hopped up onto the railing and called the guild over for her explanation. "I'm sure many of you have questions about yesterday, so I've asked Lucy to answer as many as she can. _Don't_ overwhelm her."

As soon as he stopped speaking the guild erupted in a cacophony of noise, questions yelled, and answers demanded. Lucy stared at the mass of mages beneath her with unblinking eyes; the questions drowned out her thoughts. She was about to get Natsu to shut them up when Mirajane stepped up beside her, showcasing her ability to be just as scary as Erza could be by smiling faux sweetly down at the cramped mass of mages.

"I'm sure Lucy would be able to answer your questions if you all would listen." The sickly-sweet honey dripping from her voice told everybody just what would happen if they didn't stop talking in the next few seconds - it wasn't cleaning the bar. She shot a thankful look at the takeover mage, taking a deep breath before she spoke, "To put it bluntly, Natsu here is a celestial spirit, and so is Loke." She gestured to the two mages beside her, waiting for the words to sink in while the silence continued.

The calm continued for a few more moments before the guild exploded. Shouted questions were lost in the sea of voices until it became only a loud, unintelligible noise.

Her guildmates continued to yell for the next few minutes before Erza's eerily quiet voice cut through the questions, "What do you mean Natsu and Loke are celestial spirits?"

"Exactly what I said, Natsu is a spirit. He and Saol - another spirit of mine - argued, so Natsu stormed off here for a break. We don't know if outside interference had a part in it or if it was just an effect of staying in the human realm for too long, but Natsu lost most of his memories. He figured a dragon taught him because he knew how to use his magic, talk, walk and all those other things; eventually, Master stumbled upon him, and you know the rest. Loke, on the other hand, was forced to stay here by his summoner before me, as punishment for protecting another spirit from something that would've killed them, the summoner died, and he was indirectly at fault, resulting in a ban from returning to the celestial spirit world. There are other details, but that's the gist of it. Now, does that answer your questions?" She explained.

Erza appeared to be rooted in thought with the rest of the guild; it looked painful for some of them. The previously silent Gray spoke up next, "Does this mean that Natsu's been running on low power this whole time?" The question made the blond mage above him drop her head into her palm because of course, that's what he got out of it.

Natsu lit up his fists behind her, "Yeah Ice Prick, what're you going to do about it?" She shot him a grateful look; he had successfully diffused the tension that was building. The two continued to brawl, eventually dragging the rest of the guild into it. Chairs and mugs were flying all over, and she giggled when Elfman went crashing past into the wall, yelling "SUCH A MAN!" 

The almost peaceful atmosphere was interrupted when Wakaba mumbles, "Wait if Natsu and Loke are spirits, does that mean they have summoners?" Macao beside him goes white as a sheet while Romeo lights up and yells, "Does that mean Lucy is Natsu's summoner?!", almost glowing with excitement. Everything froze, fists stopped in front of faces, mugs hung in the air and tables stayed half flipped. 

Every one of her guildmates pauses to turn their heads in Lucy's direction slowly, faces frozen in shock. She sighed - she expecting this, was counting on it even - as she walked over to the guild's doors their heads followed every step even as the rest of their bodies were still frozen.

Natsu detangled himself from Gray and Cana, following Lucy out the doors, and he shot over his shoulder, "You guys comin' or what?" disappearing past the doorframe.

Lucy was waiting behind the guild at the end of the trail of floating fire, standing in the clearing in the forest they used for challenges.

Master Makarov sent her a confused look, "Brat, what's this?" She smiled, "This, this is me showing everyone how strong Natsu now is, along with a few other things, of course." Winking, she made her way over to the middle of the clearing, stopping a few meters away from Natsu.

He paled at the meaning behind her words even as a ball of excitement built in his chest.

"Alright Natsu, show me what you've got." She taunted before pausing, "What are the rules?" looking at the small Master. He thought for a moment before saying, "Magic is allowed, stay in the clearing, win by pinning the other." before he nodded. At his nod, Lucy and Natsu shot towards each other. But their guildmates were confused, why would she use hand-to-hand combat when it was something the pink-haired man specialized in it? She could see their confusion clear up when they saw Lucy matching him, not quite in power but in the way she fought, using kicks and her natural flexibility as well as the skills she got from avoiding flying things at the guild.

Ducking under his guard, she sent fast jabs at weak points before backing off; she hadn't perfected it yet, so he was dealing as much damage as he was receiving. At an unspoken signal, they leapt away from each other, Natsu's fists lighting up in flames and the faint silver aura surrounding Lucy strengthened, balls of multi-coloured light forming in her palms.

As Natsu sent breath attack towards her before closing in, she formed one of the balls into her whip and flicked the other as it separated into many smaller lights. He knew that not closing the distance between them would put him at a considerable disadvantage, he didn't have any long-range attacks other than his 'Fire Dragon's Roar'; but she had her whip as well as her magic.

* * *

They were stunned; she, the soft, newbie blond was keeping up with Natsu, one of their strongest mages, in close combat and giving as much as she was receiving. She could see them flinch when he lit his hands on fire, knowing just how destructive and intense his flames were. 

Really, they shouldn't be worried. She had managed to match him in close quarters, and from the rumours, she thrived in long-range. She was celestial spirit mage, and they had obviously never heard of a mage of her type fighting alongside their spirits. She hadn't even summoned anyone yet.

It was evident she _had_ summoned someone when the earth formed into hands to grab at his feet and grass grew to unimaginable heights, wrapping around his limbs and immobilizing him. All of them were expecting to see two people step out of the shadows of the forest, Earth and Plant mages were different, but people often got them mixed up, so they were surprised to see only one.

Her guildmates were right, she had summoned two spirits, but she didn't want to ruin the shock factor just yet so Lura was underground.

Saol stepped out of the treeline, a look of concentration as he kept replacing all the grass Natsu burnt off. They had spoken earlier about him pretending to be able to use both types of earth magic, wanting to surprise people when they fought later, it was also why she hadn't summoned Amanzi.

While Natsu was breaking free, she had summoned Taurus; she needed him to keep Natsu away from her while she prepared her magic.

Taurus appeared in the flash of golden light expected for a Zodiac and immediately launched himself at Natsu, she had asked him to tone down on the comments. But still, she didn't expect him to stop completely, but she had a feeling it had something to do with Saol and Natsu.

Sinking into her core, she felt weightless as she slipped into Zivel. She refrained from drawing on her other three spirits. Saol had told her that she could make a connection with only two, essentially creating a unison raid with her as the connection. Her usually silver dragon that formed around her was now brown, with silver and green vines weaving through the scales.

Natsu froze, he obviously hadn't expected her to tap into Zivel, and she could hear the gasps coming from their spectators. He knew Lucy had summoned Saol, Lura, and Taurus, but she could see him trying to figure out if anyone else crossed over.

She kicked off the ground, sliding past Natsu and disturbing the dust at his feet. At the same time, she pulsed her magic, trying to make him think she had summoned another spirit, while Lura hid her underground, letting Saol and Taurus return to the Spirit World.

The dust cleared, and she could sense the confusion wafting off everyone in the clearing. And Lura was carefully making her way over to where she was, underneath the crowd.

"Princess, what do we do next?" She couldn't see the mischievous look on her face, but she knew it was there, it was in her tone. Lucy smiled playfully, "Make a dust cloud, thick enough that he can't smell what's going on."

Lura stuck a hand up, out of the dirt and flicked her wrist, summoning another cloud of dust so thick he wouldn't be able to see his hands, let alone smell anything. She silently crawled out of the dirt, behind Natsu as he spun around looking for her. He seemed to realize she was underground, and he sprung away, not staying on the ground for more than a few seconds.

Dirt snapped at his feet every time he touched down, trying to lock him to the ground, but he avoided every attempt. His dodging got significantly faster when Lucy started to flick her whip at him.

Whipping her weapon through the air, she caught his arm, keeping him still for Lura to trap his feet. He was finally restrained enough for her to pin him to the ground and win the match, but she knew he wasn't going down that easy. She had released his feet when she tackled him, so he wrestled on the ground with her, trying to keep her pinned underneath him.

When the dust cleared, the crowd cheered for Natsu, he had trapped her with his limbs and Lucy was relaxed on the ground, the silver glow gone. Seeing as Lucy had stopped trying to escape, Master Makarov declared Natsu the winner and made his way over to help the two up.

They make their way back to the guild in companionable silence, hanging back from their guildmates and their conversations about their fight. "You've gotten a lot better, Luce." Natsu compliments, she smiles and whispers conspiratorially, "How long do you think it will take them to realize all the quests we've taken since we contracted were technically solo?"

Natsu says nothing and grins widely and Lucy matches it. Gray and Happy are understandably concerned beside them.

* * *

### Omake – Beastly

Lucy was staring at her keyring in the privacy of her apartment, smiling softly at the memories she had with them when she suddenly remembers she hadn't made a contract with Loke yet. She leaps off the bed, her feet thumping on the hardwood floors.

She pulls her latest key off her ring, and calls out, "Gate of the Lion, I open thee! Leo!" The soft bells she's now familiar with ringing through her head, signalling the opening of the gateway for the orange-haired spirit to cross over to her realm.

The other Fairy Tail spirit appears in a flash of golden light, briefly illuminating the room.

His appearance had changed since she last saw him, instead of the green coat with a tall collar, black pants, and short-cut hair, he now wore a black suit and orange shirt, with hair that was reminiscent of a lion. 

The comparison would've stopped there, but when what she thought were two strangely shaped tufts of hair, twitched and swivelled towards the crashing sound coming from the kitchen. And his belt, which was previously not alive, unwound from his waist and flicked behind him, she had to restrain herself from screaming, whether, in fright, surprise, or how soft it looked, she didn't know.

But when claws form from his fingertips, she does scream. _'Weren't the Draconis supposed to be the ones with animalistic attributes!?'_

Loke takes her scream for fear - not surprise - and swiftly hides his features as much as he can while staring at the ground in embarrassment and shame. He would forever deny the squeak that comes out of his mouth when Lucy tackles him to the ground. And when she has him pinned, she manoeuvres her way behind him while he's too shocked to move.

He would also forever deny the purr that rumbles out when she starts combing her fingers through his hair, scratching and petting places that made him melt into a puddle of goo.


	13. Eisenwald

She ducked as a table soared over her head, Max flung alongside it. The sand mage leapt up from his prone position on the floor and swung a punch at the mass of bodies with a maniacal laugh, only to fly back out the next second.

Happy was hovering beside her head, and he commented, "They're all insane…" with an incredulous tone. Cana overheard from a couple of tables to the right, and slurred, "Sanity's for losers." Shouts of confirmation sounded throughout the guild.

He goes silent as his wings disappear and he drops into her lap, kneading her thighs before curling into a ball while purring. She smiles as she strokes his fur with her hand, the other reaching for her drink.

Erza comes crashing through the doors with a giant decorated monster horn, slamming it down on the floor she turns to Mirajane, "Could you mark request #65863 off? I have defeated the beast." Mira smiles nods, letting Erza turn back to the brawl.

Making her way over to fight, she reached in and grabbed Natsu and Gray by the backs of their necks, glaring at each other like overgrown, but undeniably offended puppies. She brought them over to where she was sitting at the bar, dropping them on the ground at her feet.

"Lucy, Natsu, Gray, you'll accompany me from the train station at seven tomorrow in the morning for a mission." She stated in a no-nonsense tone, leaving no room for argument as she stalked off.

Mirajane snickers, and comments, "She didn't let anybody protest, did she? But with Natsu, Gray, Erza and you on a team, you guys could grow to be Fairy Tail's strongest team." Having picked himself off the floor, Gray turns around to face Natsu, "When we get back, fight me." He declares then walks off.

Natsu shares a glance with Lucy, concern showing on her face. "Gray doesn't feel normal; his aura changed. It's concerning." Natsu frowns, "What's changed?" She sighs, shifting in her seat and accidentally disturbing Happy from his sleep, "He usually feels like hidden fury, buried so deep sometimes he forgets it's there, but it's not so buried anymore. It's simmering just below the surface. It scares me; it feels like he'll blow at any minute and slaughter everyone."

The grimace on his face deepens, "Do you think we should tell gramps about it?" Lucy doesn't reply for a while, deep in thought. "We'll go on the mission tomorrow; if he hasn't resolved it by the time we get back, then we'll tell Master. Does that sound okay?" He nods.

* * *

She was aware that her empathetic abilities unnerved people, so she didn't mention anything to Gray or Erza, keeping it between her and her spirits. She had asked for their advice the night before and had gotten mostly the same thing, let it play out.

Stepping into the train had Natsu disappearing back to the spirit world for the train trip, not wanting to have motion-sickness. Erza followed behind with a cart full of luggage, and Lucy giggled as she struggled to find space to put it all.

Once she found a place to put everything, Erza sat down in the booth across from Lucy and Gray and started explaining what the mission was.

"We are to go after a dark guild called Eisenwald, they acquired a cursed magical item named Lullaby and are planning something, and they requested me to stop them from completing whatever they were going to do. My original plan was to storm the guild itself, but I realized I could not take a whole guild on myself and so I asked for your assistance." She explained. 

_"You just realized that taking on a whole dark guild was outside your capabilities?!"_ Snickering filtered through the back of her mind, she had accidentally mixed up the thoughts and the bond again. She blushed bright red but managed to excuse herself to the bathroom before anyone could notice.

On her way back from the bathroom, the aura of a dark artifact invaded her senses; she couldn't feel anything other than the darkness permeating the air. Wondering how she missed the awful feeling of a pair of eyes watching at night, she stumbled back to her car. As she passed the threshold, the evil aura faded, being drowned out by the massive amount of magical energy Erza and Gray were unconsciously exuding.

The energy was saturating the air, and the way it leaked out of their containers showed her the power they had at their disposal. It wasn't usually this suffocating, but after being constrained by the evil aura earlier, the difference between her teammates' and the artifact was disorienting. 

Erza was concerned when Lucy stumbled through the door to their car, face white as a sheet and sitting as far away from them as possible. She grew even more concerned when she explained what happened on the way back from the bathroom. 

"Interesting, I will go and check out this malevolent aura you sensed." She promptly shouldered past the people who were getting off the train, making her way to where Lucy had sensed the artifact.

Alone with Gray, she tried to find out why his rage had surfaced by talking to him, "Gray, are you alright?" He didn't answer, and she tried several more times, but she didn't get any response, so she gave up, sitting in awkward silence until Erza came back.

A body went flying past their door with a crash, and they could hear yelling, it was unintelligible, but they knew it was Erza because she also flew past their door, but this time she was chasing the someone that had flown past the door.

As Erza raced past, she and Gray collected their thoughts and ran after the red blur that was their teammate, only stopping when someone pulled the emergency brake.

The 'someone-who-had-been-flung' jumped out of the train and onto the plateau, he was in plain sight and was as such easy pickings for Gray's ice.

Erza stalked up to the panicking Eisenwald member, and she watches as he hurriedly glanced between the far-away Onibus station and the approaching mage, trying to figure out if he could escape. Her attention is drawn to the ground by his feet, where a flute made from dark wood with three eyes lays.

Lucy cautiously walks up to the man trapped in ice and picks up the flute, and asks, "What is this?" He laughs and eyes Erza behind her, ready to back her up if needed. He doesn't say anything after all their attempts.

She turns around with a sigh, going to shove the flute in her bag only to find it had shifted its form to that of a bracelet, wrapping itself around her wrist. Alarm bells were going off in her head, her teammates were beside her, but she felt so alone. The sirens didn't stop, only growing louder for every second that passed. 

Brushing her fingers across her keys was something she hadn't done for a while outside of combat, she had grown out of years ago after she ran away. She jumped when she realized she couldn't feel any magic coming from them. Panicking, she grabbed her keys, inspecting them for any signs of rust or change.

A sigh of relief let her when she couldn't see any signs of damage before realizing that if there wasn't any magic coming from her keys and she couldn't see any signs of a seal, that meant the seal was on her, and she shot an accusing glare at the brace on her wrist.

"Can't feel your magic, can you?" He taunted with a laugh, "You took everything from us! Our rights, our freedom! While you all just sit and look pretty for the council. Ha! Legal guilds make me laugh; you answer the council's every beck and call like dogs! And then you have the nerve to look down on us! Now, we'll have our retribution, slowly, Lullaby's magic will seep into you, driving you insane, then killing you than your little fairy friends! And there's nothing you can do about it!" The bitt of Erza's sword cut off his mad cackling as it collided with his head, knocking him out.

Erza stuffed the knocked out Eisenwald member into the trunk of a nearby Magic Four-Wheeler, strapping the SE plug band onto her wrist after she guided the shell-shocked Lucy into the carriage.

Lucy stared blankly at the wall, trying to process the dark wizard's words. He said she would be driven insane before dying and killing her friends, meaning that after she died something would be released, an explosion or beast was most probable. She needed to get as far away from civilization as soon as possible, before giving her keys to someone she trusted. She would have to write a letter to her spirits to apologize, but she didn't want to. 

Tears welled up in her eyes, dying would mean leaving everyone she had come to meet since joining Fairy Tail and leaving her keys in the hands of someone she trusted. Spirits who were nothing but kind to her since receiving their keys, some even before she contracted with them. She knew that if there were a life beyond death, she would miss them, miss them so much, and worry, she'd do that a lot as well.

The tears spilled over; the realization finally hit her. Heaving sobs left her; she would no longer get to hear Aquarius and Cobra's snark or Taurus's appreciation, feel the warmth of Cancer when he did her hair and fought beside her. Or Saol and Amanzi's worry and feel Lura's bounciness or Natsu's enthusiasm, hear Virgo asking for punishment, or Loke's flirting and the comfort her silver spirits gave her, the sense of home. And she was going to do everything in her power to keep it. Her sobs stop, and she realizes she suddenly burst out crying in the middle of a critical mission, and Gray was rubbing awkward circles on her back.

"Sorry about that." She chuckles sheepishly, knowing Gray wasn't one for comforting people. Erza asks if she is alright to finish the mission and she attempts to meditate, halfway succeeding before running into a block, she bounces back off the block like a spring, and she recoils in pain. 

Crossing meditation off her mental list, she tries to contact one of her Draconis spirits, only to bounce off the same block, the pain doubling, it was now akin to being stabbed with a blunt knife multiple times, or how she thought that would feel. She tries once more, this time trying to connect to the magic held in her keys, bypassing the block with a backdoor of sorts, she reencounters the seal, but it wasn't blocking everything, only the pathways her magic would follow to open the gates.

If it were blocking her pathways, then she would have just not to follow her channels, it sounded easy, and she'd done it before, albeit on a lesser scale with Loke, but back then she had sunk into a meditative state, but she couldn't do that now, not without massive amounts of pain.

Meditating wouldn't work, she couldn't summon them because that was the whole problem, trapped in the spirit world, with no way to contact them. She needed to sink deeper, past the magic that powered the keys, into the link that bound the spirit. Finding the block again wasn't hard, now that she knew what to look for, she could feel the blocks in her pathways like someone had built a brick wall surrounding her core, not letting even an iota escape. 

Carefully she mixed herself into the bond, a strange feeling enveloped her, like she was in her mother's arms again, telling her everything would be okay. It would be easy to fall asleep, the warmth was very inviting, she could feel herself drifting off, enveloped in the feeling of 'safewarmhome', but someone was tugging at her stomach? No, someone was tugging at her magic, that made more sense, but why was someone pulling at her magic? Couldn't they see she was trying to sleep here?

The thought swept the alluring warmth of sleep far back into the recesses of her mind, she remembered her mission, follow the bond, and re-unlock her magic, not fall asleep in a possibly dangerous place. She had a funny feeling that if she fell asleep, she would not have woken up.

Re-focusing, she shook her head to clear it from the last of the fogginess and let out a deep breath. The magic between spirit the two was like a slow-moving river, bending into any shape needed and eroding anything that didn't belong.

Effectively swimming up a river wasn't easy, the magical currents either pushing her back to her pool or underwater, something she was sure she would not have surfaced from, but despite all attempts, she made it to a plate-like area. The white marble steps formed a circle leading down to a common area, where she could see various Zodiac spirits milling around, some hers, some not, but they couldn't see, hear, or feel her, it was like she didn't exist, she didn't like that feeling.

Leisurely spinning around to observe the doors at the top of the steps, 13 massive wooden doors, evenly spaced, surrounded the communal area. Lucy watched as Aires glowed a brief white, and she scurried off to her designated door, disappearing in a shimmer of golden magic. Looking back at the door she came through she noted that the two waves of Aquarius's symbol were delicately carved into the wood as if someone had gone through great pains to make sure it was perfect.

The door she stood in front of was ajar, a dark blue river that had glowing blue and aquamarine currents weaving through it, the sight was beautiful, the golds, purples and blues mixed perfectly with the river, making a breath-taking image. If she could draw, she would've tried to immortalize it forever.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she made her way to Loke's door, firmly shut with chains made of dark metal, making sure it stayed that way. When she looked at the other doors a second time, she noted that three others were chained in the same way, Taurus, Cancer and Virgo. And Aquarius's would've been the same, if not for the doors that refused to close from its ajar state and the dark chains had links half-broken, holding itself together by a thread.

She looked up at the door with Loke's symbol and wrapped her hands around the closest chain link, pulling until she was a panting mess on the floor. She glared up at the structure, attempting to stare it into submission. Somehow she got the feeling it wasn't working. In her attempt to glare the door surrendering, she noticed a large lock, right in the centre. 

Standing to get a closer look at the door, she was frustrated to acknowledge that she was too short even to touch the bottom of the lock with her fingers. In her frustration, she didn't see the door had cracked open the slightest amount, letting small beams of golden light spill across the floor. She did notice, however when the golden light solidified into the form of Loke.

He was faded and transparent, she could see the common-room behind him, and as he turned, due to his transparency, she could see the shock making its way onto his face. Loke hadn't expected to be here, the place where only Zodiac was allowed to enter, not even the Moustache Man was an exception.

The disbelief only grew as she told him her story, from right back when the guild found out he and Natsu were spirits, to right now, standing in front of the door to his domain, where he was still trapped.

Even though he was only semi-solid right now, he managed to summon enough energy to boost her up to stand on his shoulders, their heights combined allowed them to reach the key, and Lucy leant forward a little, intent on inspecting the lock. All she saw was a carving of a generic key inside a lock, an open door and then Loke's key underneath that. The three carvings were etched just above the keyhole. 

Smiling a little, she pulled out his key and pushed it into the lock. A clicking sound echoed through the hall, and the chains crashed to the ground, dissolving into golden balls of light, which then made their way to Loke, finalizing his form.


	14. Domains

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that in canon, Plue is Canis Minor, but here Plue is Camelopardus, a constellation with no myth or story behind it, other than being a camel, so I repurposed it.

Of course, it couldn't be that easy, while the doors did open and she felt his magic pulse through his key – warming it from the dull cold metal it had been before – instead of moving on to the next door, they teleported, into a jungle. The humidity immediately made Lucy sticky, hot and bothered, while Loke just stood there, an amused smile on his face, looking cool as a cucumber even in his suit. She was not amused.

Hours after she adjusts to the sudden, sweltering heat, a bush rustles to their left, and Lucy drops into a fighting stance, but stares wide-eyed as her spirit, her main form of protection, wanders closer to the rustling like he was walking through the park. 

Something in her snaps and she stalks up to the spirit, snarling, "Okay, I've had enough of this bullshit, tell me, where the hell are we, and why are you so god-dammed comfortable?" Her hand curled into his shirt collar, and she expected him to look at least a little surprised and was further pissed off when instead of surprise, she saw knowing, and understanding.

Her rational mind said that socking her protection in the nose was insane, she told her rational mind to fling itself into the sun and it can tell sanity to join it. They rustle a bit more, and he reaches in. Her eyes go wide, he is reaching into a bush, that was moving, and he was probably going to get his hands torn off. He couldn't lose his hands!? She needed them for protection. If she didn't, she would've torn them off herself.

She was mildly disappointed when there was no screams of pain, only a soft purring noise, and she turned her attention to whatever was in his almost non-existent hands. 

Cubs. Lion cubs. Baby lions. Kidnapped, baby lions. Loke had kidnapped two baby lions. Who had a Mother? And quite possibly a Father. Oh, dear, she was dead. Dead as a doornail. Deader, than a doornail.

She looked around frantically. Tree. Tree. More Trees. Angry lioness. Tree. Ooh, Squirrel. Tree. Angry lioness. Three Squirrels. Angry lioness. Tree. Angry lioness. Trees.

She gives up trying to avoid the snarling face to her left, and collapsed onto her knees, she looked to Loke desperately, but he was still wearing that calm face, standing there with two lion cubs in his arms, facing down an angry lioness, was he insane? Oh god, she hoped he wasn't insane, because if he was insane, then that meant she was probably insane. She thought he was completely normal, and insanity was contagious.

The lioness stalks forward, getting close enough that she wouldn't have to lunge forward more than a meter or so to bite his face off. She hoped she bit his face off; it would be a fitting punishment for someone who kidnapped two baby lions. And she was still in range, wasn't she? In the range of the death machine that was this animal. She had collapsed in an awkward heap, and she wasn't getting up in a hurry.

Her cold, calculating eyes slid towards Lucy's terror-filled ones, even as she still stalked towards her possibly (definitely) insane spirit. He was insane; she was even more sure of it when instead of putting the cubs down and slowly walking away or summon his magic to protect them, he walked towards the very angry lioness, cubs in hand. He walked. Towards!? The very angry lioness.

Feeling like her soul had left her body, she was cold, the kind that meant the grim reaper had come for you, the type of deathly cold as you realize there was no hope, no escape, and all the warmth you gained from people's trust and hopes and dreams just drains out of you. She didn't want to fight; she had no magic, no friends, no weapons.

Loke stopped, not even half a meter away and he holds his hand out. _‘Is he offering his hand as retribution?'_ She wondered, and cynically thought he was going to end up losing his hand anyways. To whatever she had thought was in the bushes, and now a lioness, fitting that the lion Zodiac spirit would die by a lioness' hand.

Wait, hold on. The two were just in a magic room for Zodiac spirits, they opened Loke's door, and immediately they were teleported here, into a jungle, she had been in one before, why was she so irrationally angry at everything? Then she had decided not to fight, and suddenly all hope seemed lost, she was ready for the grim reaper to take her, then and there, regardless of whether she died or not. And throughout the whole thing, Loke had never shown one once of caution for his surroundings, like he was 110% sure he was completely safe, that nothing could ever hurt him here. 

Everything clicked into place, they had tricked her, and she whirled around to tell him just what she thought of him, and stopped. 

Everything stopped, thought process, blinking, breathing, at the sight of the ferocious lioness that she was sure had been ready to kill them earlier, was, _snuggling_ with her spirit, her head in his lap, both of them purring, a low rumble in their chests, happy and safe.

She wanted in. She wanted in the happy pile of safe, warm, and content lions and lionesses. Loke cracked an eye open, extending his arm in a silent invitation. There was no way she could say no, no way she wanted to say no, so she clambered in, carefully climbing over haphazardly tossed limbs and soft bodies until she found the perfect spot, so perfect it was almost like it was left on purpose, but she didn't care, she just wanted to sleep.

In the warm pile of limbs and bodies, they all fell asleep. No one disturbed them for a long while.

* * *

Meanwhile, Erza, Gray, Happy, and the unwilling Eisenwald member - who still wouldn't tell them his name - were making good time on their way to Onibus station. They would arrive there in about half an hour, half that if Erza pushed herself, but she wasn't going to. She did care about stopping Eisenwald from killing thousands of people, but, they didn't have Lullaby, and while they could do the same amount of damage, maybe less, using Lullaby would make the job infinitely easier, with far less risk. 

So, she was taking the chance to let Lucy have a little more time to recover; she didn't want to leave her in the Magic Four-Wheeler, they had affectionately named, Symphony, she would be in far too much danger. Another choice was dragging her along while they fought, not a great plan; she was liable to be cut, stabbed, and who knows what. Her last choice was to hide her somewhere safe and comfortable, away from enemies and stray attacks.

The first two were a no, which meant hiding her was their only choice, the problem was, where? They can't have her too far away in case she needed help, but they couldn't put her down somewhere too close by either, too many attacks, intentional or otherwise.

Then she remembered that there was supposed to be four of them, now they have two and a flying, talking cat. She wasn't sure Gray and she would be able to handle it, they'd do their best of course, but to take out nearly a whole guild of ruthless dark mages? Neither of them had the power necessary.

It wasn't totally a lost cause, she would've taken them on alone before she got them to join her, and the pain of her arrogance was something she deserved in retribution.

* * *

Lucy woke up warm and content, the low rumbling hadn't stopped, so her limbs were like jelly, and she was unwilling to move at all until the warmth abruptly pulled away, and she whined.

She heard Loke laugh behind her, and he asks, "Have you figured it out, Princess?" From his tone, he was teasing her. She frowned, her sleep-addled mind trying to catch up with his question.

Oh. Loke meant yesterday, after they unlocked his door and were teleported into a jungle, his jungle apparently. According to him, the lioness they faced was actually Leo Minor, and the two cubs were Canis Minor and Major. She doesn't know why they didn't have the form of a dog, but taking a second look at them now, she can see two massive dogs instead of the cubs she was expecting.

The two were retrievers, and Loke introduced the larger black one as Canis Major and the pale one as Canis Minor. "Canes Venatici is out at the moment, but they will be back later." A majestic voice comes from the pale tan lioness to her left, and she spins around to ask why she was snarling at her but pauses when she sees Loke.

He was a lion. Not a humanoid. His dark brown fur gleaming in the sunlight and his mane was waving in the wind. The glowing patterns on his body and in his orange hair lit up the shadows of his tree.

Leaping down from the branch he was laying on, he walked over to face her, laying down again so they could see eye to eye. He was vast, quite a bit taller than her, even in this form, and at least twice that in length.

“You. What. _How?_ ” She asked frantically.

His laugh rumbled low in his chest, "Princess, this is another of my forms. My first is the person you met when you first joined the guild, my human one. Second is the form you're used to, as a humanoid. Third, is this. Surprising, isn't it?" 

She relaxed, flopping back down onto the grass on her back, "Where even are we?" 

Smirking, he answers, "My Domain, just like how I am the leader of the Zodiacs, I look after all the spirits that are even remotely related to lions or the forest in general. Canine, Feline, Lupine etc." 

"How come none of the others mentioned this? And why have I never seen you like this?" She questions.

Smiling softly, he explains, "Your other Zodiac probably didn't mention it because they either found it deeply personal, never found the time to do so or it didn't occur to them to mention it. I don't care if you knew, but I wouldn't tell my other summoners. And you've never seen me like this because no one else knows about it and they don't have the magic to, although I do wish I could see the Earthland forests and jungles like this." 

"Oh, well alright then, when this thing with Lullaby blows over, and I have my magic back, I'll summon you, can't be any more magic than summoning Natsu or Saol." She promises but then asks, "Speaking of, how do we get back to that communal area?" 

His answer is cut off by twin dogs launching themselves at her spirit with excited yells. "Mister Leo! You're back!" The two exclaim in unison. Loke rolls onto his back as they continue to play fight, successfully pinning them with his body weight. She laughs, he looks ridiculous, rolled onto his back and looking at her while pinning the two matching dogs as they squirm, trying to escape from the massive lion.

Leo Minor leisurely walks over to the three spirits, Canis Major and Minor following her, and Loke rolls back off the two dogs with a goofy smile that somehow works with his lion features. "Acan and Taivin! I haven't seen you in a while, your summoner has called you out the last few times I've come in. What do they need you for so much anyways?" He questions.

Their identities suddenly hit Lucy, "You're Canes Venatici! The best tracking spirits out there! My mother talked all about you." Their heads swivel towards her, chests puffing up at the comment as they saunter towards her. "That's right. We're the best in the biz, anything you want found, we'll find it!" The left one boasts. The right one just questions her with a suspicious look in her eye, "And who're you again?" 

It occurs to her that she hasn't introduced herself, "I'm Lucy Heartfilia, Loke's summoner." 

The female on the right is still looking at her, suspiciously, "Yeah, okay. Who's Loke?" 

She points to the spirit behind them and deadpans, "Leo." 

There's a dog suddenly in her face, "Hi Lucy! I'm Taivin nice to meet you! It's so cool to meet Mister Leo's summoner! Have you got any meat?" He asked the question with an adorable head tilt from the male Great Dane, but the flaming ears ruin the image.

 _‘If he's Taivin, that means the other is Acan.'_ The spirit she was thinking about had spun herself around to stare at Loke in shock, flaming tail laying stiff on the ground. The brindle patterned female turned around again, facing her with a still suspicious tone, "Okay, so you're Mister Leo's summoner, still doesn't explain why you're here." 

Leo Minor rolls her eyes, "Acan, stop being so suspicious, Leo brought her here because he wanted to, isn't that enough." 

Acan looks down at the ground, "Yes, Miss Senis." 

"Little Sis, It's alright, It's just Acan's nature, she'll warm up eventually." Loke reproaches.

Senis growls, "You know I hate it when you call me that. I have a name, use it." 

He backs off, "Of course, of course. Sorry." He doesn't look very sorry, but she could be wrong.

They talk for a while longer, bringing the low afternoon sundown to disappear underneath the horizon, the moon taking its place in the sky.

“Back to my previous question, How _do_ we get back to the communal area?” She asks.

A golden light envelops his form, shaping him back to his humanoid look. He starts walking after checking the position and shoots over his shoulder, "Coming, Princess?" 

It isn't too long before they reach a door, exactly like the one she unlocked the day before, it opens when Loke gets close to it, and they walk through without any problems.

Back in the common-room, Taurus' door is as tall and intimidating as Loke's was, but she knew what to do now, so she grabbed his key from her ring and placed it inside the lock after being boosted up by Loke and inspecting the carvings.

The chains fall off with the same crashing sound, and the sound of the door unlocking echoes through the hall, but Loke doesn't follow her when she starts to fade, "Princess, you'll have to do this yourself, it's forbidden for other Zodiacs to enter another's Domain. Goo-" She arrives in an open field, cutting off his sentence.


	15. Pain

Butterflies danced across the meadow, sunlight glistened off dew drops, and birds chirped in the trees on the fringes of her sight.

The anger raging through her mind sent her to her knees, destroying any thoughts and feelings about how picturesque the field was.

She could feel all her repressed anger suddenly surge up, destroying all rational thought. Her vision went red as she focused on the only object in the meadow, a gigantic golden axe. If she wasn't so angry she might've recognized it as Taurus', but the rage was blinding.

Her father. Saol and Amanzi's injustice. Natsu's memories. Being kidnapped. Loke and the Moustache Man. Eisenwald. Lullaby.

_Stop._

_Help._

_I don't want to do this._

_Someone,_

_Anyone,_

_Stop me._

The gleaming gold and black axe was the perfect target for her to unleash the rage simmering under her skin.

Atop the axe, her bipedal bull spirit stood, observing the sight below. Lucy was trying to tear into the metal, and having no magic or weapons; she tried to rip the axe apart with her bare hands.

Her thoughts were muddled; she could no longer think, could no longer see past the red haze. All she knew was she had to destroy.

It was a while before she stopped, the head of the axe stained red with her blood, and her hands ripped to shreds. She slumped down onto the ground and looked at the target of her rage. The battle-axe's metal in pieces, littering the ground with sharp shards.

She looked down at her hands, bone exposed and bleeding profusely, so she tried to rip the bottom of her shirt, but only succeeded at making her bloodier. She flopped onto her back, tiredly gazing at the night sky. A flash of white caught her eye, and her eyes moved to lock onto the form of Taurus. When she spotted him, he leapt down from his perch, landing soundlessly on the grass.

"Miss Lucy, how are you doing?" He asked in a subdued tone, eyes drifting down to stare at her hands.

Trying at a smile, but it turned out as a grimace, she answered, "I'm fine Taurus, other than needing some bandages." She frowned, concern filling her voice, "Were you watching the whole time?"

He nodded, not saying anything as he wrapped her hands with bandages. The silence stretched on; they only heard the soft sounds of the forest surrounding them while they sat in the tranquil meadow.

They sat until the sun rose, just enjoying each other's presence. But eventually, she had to continue with her mission, and asked, "What was that anger? I've never felt so much rage before."

"That, Miss Lucy, was the area spell, Berserker, it makes the affected victims feel no pain in exchange for uncontrollable rage, destroying the first target they see, ally or enemy, not many people know of it because of the risk. I suspect you'll start feeling the pain of your wounds soon if you haven't already." He gestured to her hands, wrapped in stark white bandages.

"Why is it here? Loke told me nobody, but you guys knew about your domains." She was curious, if no one knew about it, then why did they have defences against intruders.

"Ah, that's a good point, but we don't only have to worry about intruders, even though sometimes a mage like you makes their way here, we also have to worry about rogue spirits. When someone doesn't summon one of the silver keys, usually about 300 years, their magic starts to overpower their will and thoughts, driving them to do things they usually wouldn't dream of doing, things like attacking others. So, the spell is sort of an alarm system as well as a trap, when someone attacks the axe, I get alerted, and the spell forces them to focus all of their rages onto it, stopping them from harming the spirits I look after." It made sense, the intruder focuses on the axe, Taurus gets alerted, and when the intruder is finally released, they are far too tired to fight and eventually end up in great pain.

"Are you aware of why I'm here?" She asks.

He frowns, "I'm afraid not, Miss Lucy, I know we were disconnected for a while, but I have no idea why." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, relaxing her; he had been far too grave, it didn't suit him.

Sighing, she explained, "Currently, the demon Lullaby is attached to my arm, blocking my magic pathways, and injecting unfiltered dark magic into my system, killing me. And it told me that when I die, after driving me insane, I will kill everyone around me, as such, my current hypothesis is; something will be released, an explosion or beast is most probable." She told him bluntly, and leaving no time for him to answer, she got up and asked him, "So, where's the exit, I have to get this done as fast as possible."

She could've said it a bit nicer, okay, a lot nicer, but there was so much on her mind, and the thought of her death wouldn't leave her alone.

They make their way over to the set of doors on a hill behind the axe, reaching them in a few minutes, before entering the portal she turns to her bull spirit, "I was wondering, do you have another form? Loke trusted me with his, and I thought maybe you had one as well?"

"Sorry Miss Lucy, his form shifting skill is something exclusive only to the leader of the Zodiac. Though I did hear that the Draconis had something similar that allowed to borrow part of Draco's power and, the others could learn transformation magic if they wanted, but, before you go, would you let me change your bandages, Miss Lucy?" He asked shyly.

Holding her hands out for him to bandage, she wondered what the defences on Aquarius' realm would be. Whirlpools, tsunami's, all kinds of fish, probably sharp fish. She shuddered.

He finished, and they said their goodbye's before she stepped into the portal, arriving once again in the common-room. Sweeping her gaze around the room, she looked for the mane of orange hair that was Loke, spotting him over by the next door, Cancer's.

They had successfully rid the train station of Eisenwald members, but before she and Gray could fetch Lucy from the cellar they had stashed her in, a wind wall sprung up around the station, trapping them inside. Erigor laughed from outside the barrier, "You little fairies are so weak! Barely managing to take out the low-level grunts! You deserve to die where you stand, but unfortunately, I have a prior engagement I must attend to, so I'll keep you here to kill later, or, you can futilely try and escape, shredding yourself to pieces!" He laughed maniacally.

The still silent Gray shot a wave of ice at the nearest piece of wall, only for it to prove the dark mage's point, they would be torn to shreds before they got even halfway through.

Erza growled, wracking her brain for a plan of escape. She turned to Gray to see if he would provide any ideas, but he looked as frustrated as she did, meaning he hadn't come up with anything either.

Sitting on the floor of the station, they made and discarded plan after plan for hours, until they realized the sun had nearly set. To provide them with a distraction, they went around and tied up all of the Eisenwald mages with rope from Erza's Requip space. As they systematically made their way through the mages, Gray's face became alight with an idea, "This mage here, the one we interrogated earlier, can use dispel magic. So, I say we threaten him into dispelling this wall for us."

Cancer's domain didn't happen, no matter what the snickering lion says. It. Didn't. Happen. She was not hyperactive, there was no birds, or giant ships, or water snakes and there was no dancing. On that damn island, the only thing that existed was Cancer and her. Nothing happened, nothing at all. She wasn't exhausted, they only talked for a few hours, nothing more, nothing less.

"Your denial is impressive, Princess." He was still snickering.

"It's not denial if it didn't happen, right?" She asked in a sickly-sweet tone.

His facial expression shifted from amusement to apprehension, "And if it did happen?" He asked cautiously.

"Then I'd just have to make sure it didn't. Memories are so easy to forget." It would've been an innocent statement, if not for the malicious grin and mad gleam in her eyes, promising pain and suffering to those who disagree.

Stopping in front of Virgo's door, she dropped the aggressive look and turned to Loke solemnly, "If I do not make it back, give my keys to someone who'll take care of them."

Shaking his head at her antics, Loke replied equally as solemnly, "Of course, Princess." Before they burst into laughter, unable to hold it in any longer.

Loke boosted her up to the lock, and eventually, the chains came crashing down.

She gave him a cheeky wave before striding confidently into the portal, being consumed by the swirling gold and purple.

Looking around the enclosed room, she found herself surrounded by all manners of torture equipment, seeing saws, pulling devices, spikes, spiked contraptions, pointed structures, knives and more. In the centre of the room, Virgo was sitting, humming to herself as she braided a rope, when she noticed Lucy was staring, she leapt to her feet and greeted her summoner, "Princess, what can I do for you?" Her voice was monotone, but she could hear some slight embarrassment.

"Ah, I just need to-" There was an explosion of pain originating from her hands. There was so much pain she couldn't hear anything apart from the rushing of blood in her ears, she knew the floor was beneath her, so she must've collapsed, and Virgo was flitting around worriedly in her line of sight, trying to figure out what was wrong. She wanted to tell her the pain was coming from her hands, but she didn't know if it worked or not. Pushing against the ground with her elbows was a Very Bad Idea, her hands had bumped against the stone floor and sent white-hot pain shooting up her nerves.

Her vision went white, then black, and she didn't know anything anymore.

Waking up was always the hardest part of her day, sleep clung to her mind, and she was usually slow and unresponsive. This time it was worse, her eyes wouldn't open, limbs wouldn't move, and no thoughts were flitting past, she just lay there blankly, trying to gain some semblance of coherency.

A door opened eventually; she didn't know how much time had passed since waking, but she had most of her mental faculties, so she recognized Virgo's voice when it asked her if she was alright.

"I'm fine now Virgo, thank you for looking after me. Did you give me painkillers or have my hands healed?" She vaguely gestured with her hands about the missing acute pain.

"Both Princess. I had Pegasus heal you when he came around; you were lucky he was in the area if not, you would've been in worlds of pain when you woke. If you stay here for another two days, the room will heal your hands completely, but if you wish, you may impart to the other domains, but they will take more time to heal." She offered; voice still monotone.

From what she gathered from Loke, and now Virgo, Pegasus was a sort of wandering traveller, taking each day as it comes and seeing the sights, never mind he'd been alive for more years than hours in all her 17-year-old glory.

She thought it over; if she stayed here, her hands would only take a couple more days to have a full range of motion back. And if she left, she would be beating Aquarius' domain defence, and on her way home to kick Lullaby's ass, but with only about half of her usual range of motion. Once she finished with Aquarius' domain, her magic would be unlocked, but she wouldn't be able to use her whip to its full potential.

Nodding to herself, she decided; "I'll stay here a bit longer and leave tomorrow, then I'll make my way to Aquarius' gate. Now then," She turned a mad grin on her spirit, "What things do you have for fun around here?"

In a rare show of emotion, Virgo matched her grin, "Plenty…" She purred.

Tortured screams, maniacal laughter, and the whirs of various machines filled the air for the next few hours. The spirits Virgo looked after wisely did not stray from their duties to sneak a peek at the various happenings in the rooms adjacent.

Lucy emerged from the room, positively glowing, it had felt good to be able to get her frustrations out finally. Her stress had quite literately melted away, leaving her a happy puddle of good feelings.

Sometime during their activities, the moon had disappeared, leaving the stone floor illuminated by the strong rays of the midday sun.

Virgo exited behind her, the unnoticeable tension had left the lines of her shoulders and spine and she sunk to the floor in the same puddle of happy feelings as Lucy.

They stayed there for a while, absorbing the sun's rays underneath the glass, chatting about miscellaneous things.

She realized that she had stayed longer than intended, and had forgotten about her stress and worries as she indulged in the activities she had once loved, and rekindling her passion.

"Thank you, Virgo, I had a wonderful time, but sadly I must go, Aquarius' door must unlock, and with it, my magic. Maybe we could do this again sometime? I could even come here again? Unless you'd prefer to do something in Earthland?" Lucy suggests with a hopeful lilt to her voice at the prospect of having more time with the pink-haired spirit. "I mean, I already have a lot of time with Natsu and the others, and I haven't been summoning you guys as often, and I feel terrible about that, but I'm going to fix that as soon as possible!" She concludes with a bright smile.

The maiden returned to her emotionless face and tone as she agrees with her summoner, "Yes, Princess, I would like that. Now should I show you the way out?" Her façade cracks just a little at Lucy's departure, but she would hold steady until she left, only until she was alone, then the emotions would flow freely.


	16. Water Temple

Aquarius' door was just like she remembered it, all smooth wood and precise carvings edged with gold, but it stood taller this time, more intimidating. "Lucy, you'll be fine, it's just Aquarius." He seemed to regret the words as soon as they came out, she couldn't blame him, Aquarius was scary.

She took a deep breath, there was nothing to be scared about, Aquarius threatened her on a near-daily basis, but she wouldn't do anything to maim her permanently. The thought was strangely comforting.

Wishing desperately for this to work - because she didn't know what she would do if it didn't - she stepped through the portal, sealing her fate. Not for the first time, she found herself missing the inane chatter that was usually bouncing around in her head desperately, wanting to hear the enthusiasm of Lura and Natsu, the quiet comfort of Saol and Amanzi, and Erik's scathing snark. She hoped that they were doing alright, that the silence didn't remind them too much of bad memories.

The first thing she registered was; she was cold, then, no air would enter her lungs, and after that, she was so incredibly tired. She knew that to go to sleep was a bad idea in this environment; drowning and hypothermia weren't the most enjoyable ways to die. Still, she forced herself to breathe, breathe in the water. (And hope she didn't drown.)

It was a pleasant surprise when instead of breathing in water, air filtered its way into her lungs, but she took it at face value, she didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

Looking around, she realized she was in an underwater temple, it was huge, one corridor was the width of three Saol's lying head to toe, and considering Saol was just over six foot, it wasn't something to disregard.

There seemed to be no other way to go except inwards, the dark shapes surrounding her were restricting passage to anywhere but forwards. But after stepping past the threshold, the drowsiness that had long since faded away came back at full force. She collapsed onto the ground; her limbs had become unable to support her weight under the strength of the drowsiness. Her eyes nearly slid closed, becoming slits as she tried to fight sleep.

Pushing off the ground seemed like an impossible task, the hardest she had ever faced, she was shaking with the effort needed to pull herself to her knees, her breath rushed out in harsh gasps that stirred the water around her. The fish that swam past her blurry vision ripped her concentration away from keeping awake, hypnotic patterns and colours blinding and debilitating her in one blow.

The shadows at the edges of her vision raced forward in droves, completely blinding her; she wasn't sure if her eyes were closed or not. Panic shot through her system, filling her with adrenaline; someone was touching her, someone, she couldn't see if they were an ally or not, had poked at her shoulder, so she whipped her leg out, nailing her assailant in the side.

A distinctly feminine yelp escapes the body to her left, along with a tremendous crash. She tried to yank her eyes open, easier now the adrenaline had chased away some of the drowsiness. The sight that greeted her was not something she expected. 

Dark green scales that were almost blue coated the underbelly; a line of aquamarine separated the darker blue armour-like one's coating it's back. Thin, black, slit eyes peered towards her underneath the spikes connected by webbing, protruding from the serpent's head.

She jumped back with a shout of surprise, barely missing the tail poised to support her from the back. The sea serpent was beautiful, and she would've appreciated her a bit more if not for the cloying sensation of dying, filling her throat.

But she was expecting the force of the spell now, and it figured that Aquarius would be the harshest on intruders. As she kept walking, for every open area she passed, the drowsiness increased, but she didn't let it affect her, and made her way to the centre, where Aquarius would be.

Letting the sea serpent guide her, she asked, "I apologize, but, which one of the constellations are you?" She smiled sheepishly.

The serpent turned its head to look at her, "When I look like this, I would've thought you knew who I was. Oh well, I'm Hydra, the Sea Serpent. You might also see my brother Hydras; he's the Sea Snake." 

Lucy flushed, "Ah, yeah, the drowsiness must be affecting me more than I thought, that's pretty obvious."

They finally made their way to the centre, gold plates lined the edges of the circular pillars surrounding the room, and the roof gently sloped upwards, with a chandelier hung in the middle, golden droplets hung off the curved silver. Rays of light shone throughout the room, reflected off the bowls of fire placed equally on each of the pillars. The water that usually filled the rooms stopped halfway up her midsection, just above her hips.

Aquarius hovered just atop the water, her scales shimmering with the light that bounced around the room. Her usual scowl was present on her face as she glared down at the new occupants, "Brat. Why are you here?" She stated the question as a demand, expecting an answer.

When she didn't receive one, her eyebrow rose even as her scowl deepened, somehow managing not to look ridiculous. "I said, why are you here? You ruined my date with Scorpio when you stepped into here. This is why you'll never get a boyfriend."

She decided to get right to the point, pointedly ignoring the comment, "The demon Lullaby sealed my magic, so I followed the link between you guys and your keys to get here, unlock your doors, then follow the contract back to my core, and break the seal from the inside."

With no warning, Aquarius was in her face, "Stupid girl, how useless of you to get sealed by Lullaby. And, you dare to enter my domain, when this was the only place safe from your stupidity. _This_ is why I didn't tell you about it." She scoffed and pulled back, the sharp scales of her tail nearly brushing against her face.

Her words didn't match the look of relief in her eyes, Aquarius knew that being sealed by a demon, would mean that she would die shortly after, and no matter how much she didn't like Lucy, she had sworn to protect Layla's legacy until she could defend herself. 

"Whatever, the door's over there." The spirit gestured to the door back to the common-room that peeked out from behind a pillar. Lucy blinked; she would've missed it if Aquarius hadn't pointed it out.

When she approached the door, instead of the swirling gold and purple, the portal was a blue and green, like someone had taken a picture of the blue sky over a green field and mixed it like paint.

Shrugging, she stepped through the portal, it didn't look dangerous and didn't feel like it, so it probably wasn't, it was something she had learned from Erik while fighting an A-Rank Poison Beast; 'If it looks, sounds, and feels dangerous, it probably is.', he had said it like it was his guideline to living.

The portal transported her like usual, ending with her feeling vaguely nauseous and dizzy, but when she took stock of her surroundings, she saw; not the common-room, but a wine cellar?

Ah, Erza and Gray must've dumped her here while they fought Eisenwald. It made sense to leave the liability somewhere they won't get hurt. Getting up from her slumped position against the wall, she glanced at her arm, sure enough, Lullaby had detached itself from her. She couldn't just leave it here for anybody to pick it up, so she pulled her magic up, forming her whip and curling it around the demonic flute, leaving it dangling at her side.

She could see Oshibana station a couple of blocks away from her, at least what she thought was the station, but there wasn't a reason for any other building to have a wall of wind surrounding it. Pulling her magic into a ball in her hand to see through the darkness, she leisurely made her way over to the defensive wall.

Picking up a stone, she threw it at the wind wall, only to see it torn to shreds. Before she could summon Virgo to see if the wall extended underground, her head was full of noise, after the silence she had gotten used to, the dissonant, unintelligible noise coming from the bond sent a splitting headache through her. "Guys, I appreciate that you're all worried about me, but shut the hell up."

Waiting until they finished their apologies, she ran through her story. They were silent until the end, but they summoned themselves before she could ask if they had any questions.

Saol and Natsu hugged her until she turned blue, then Lura launched herself at her, starting a chain reaction that ended up with everyone in a dog-pile on the floor, although Erik was sitting on top like was a king on a throne of bloody bodies. He was a dramatic asshole, that one.

Eventually, they got off her, even if they had to spend a while convincing Erik to stop using a mild paralysis poison on them. She might've heard Natsu call him a bastard, but she wasn't sure.

When she summoned Virgo, the smile she greeted them with, made various gasps of shock escape from her other spirits, but before they could finish processing it, she had reverted to her natural state of monotone.

Virgo reported that she had been right, the wall didn't extend underground, even if it made a dome over the top do the occupants couldn't fly out.

Gray was stressed, Erza was stressed, even the Eisenwald members that were conscious were stressed. Being stuck in a trap for hours would do that, especially if you were stuck with a raging swordswoman that was spewing every swear word imaginable to the wall for the last half hour.

It was impressive; she had not stopped spitting curses, barely taking a breath every so often only to continue right after. So, when the constant stream of cussing halted, and the cause hadn't revealed itself, everyone in the vicinity held their breath. Gray startled when Erza came rushing into the room he had claimed as his and dragged him out the door, not explaining anything apart. He was used to this by now, so he didn't try and escape until he was released, letting Erza drag him along.

They stopped in front of a hole just inside the wind wall, with a pink-haired spirit standing off to the side.

"Princess asked me to dig a hole so you can escape, please make your way through to her." There was only one person who could summon Celestial Spirits and would let them out, which meant Lucy had awakened and unsealed herself. 

Erza jumped in first, and he closely followed, finding steps that led up to their freedom at the end. He let out a sigh of content, relieved to see the outside world, even if he couldn't see very much of it.

As soon as they got out of the hole, Erza crushed Lucy's face against her metal breastplate, and he winced, intimately familiar with the feeling.

She sent a pleading look towards him, begging for help, but before he could oblige, the Requip mage had freed her, opening up the opportunity for him to sling an arm around her shoulders, in place of a hug.

Natsu was standing off to the side, along with the rest of what must be her Draconis, and he sent him a glare, he was still mad at him.

Her face hurt. No, her entire everything hurt, dealing with the Zodiac's domains on top of being tackled to the ground and then being shoved into a metal breastplate had started a slow, thrumming pulse throughout her body. She was aching in places she didn't even know could hurt.

The comforting arm slung around her shoulders acted like an ice-pack, with Gray's low body temperature; it felt like heaven.

Thankfully, the Magic 4-Wheeler was nearby, and they made their way to Clover, where one of the members of Eisenwald had told Erza, Erigor was going to attack the Guild Masters with Lullaby, not that.

They raced after Erigor, knowing that even though they would defeat him in the end, he could do some severe harm to the Masters.

Pumping as much magic as she could into the converter; it would go faster for how much magic she forced into it. Soon her eyes started getting blurry, and she forced herself to slow down, it wouldn't do anyone any good for her to pass out from Magic Depletion.

"Erza, stop the car, I'll take over!" Lucy shouted from the back, she could see Erza's magic steadily drop down, and if she continued any longer, it would get dangerous.

As she pulled off the road, a strong gust of wind blew their transportation onto its side, trapping them.

Another gust pushed the wheeler to the precarious edge of the bridge. They really didn't want to know if the carriage could stand up to the fall.


	17. Erigor

The carriage balanced on the wooden edge of the bridge, no one dared to move, nor speak, the shifting of weight a whisper brings could mean the difference between life and death. In this situation, she thinks that breaking out would be perfectly acceptable, but they didn't know if they'd be able to escape before they hit the ground; it wasn't far away.

An idea occurred to her, " _Erik, do you think you could open up a communication line with my teammates?"_

There was no reply, but she could feel her mind open up to the two in front of her _. "Erza, Gray, I don't think I have to tell you this, but don't move, I have an idea."_ She could _feel_ the eye roll coming from Erik.

_ "Gray, I need you to ice us to the bridge and Erza, do you think you could Requip something heavy to tip us back toward the bridge?" _ She glanced at her two human teammates, gauging their reactions, Erza could get testy when she felt someone was trying to undermine her authority.

_ "If you can't, don't worry, I can get Saol or someone to sit on top of the carriage edge." _ Throwing that small challenge in there was risky, but it would distract her from their imminent death, and the pressure that came with it. Erza had two modes when pressured; viciously competent and staggeringly incompetent. They did not need the latter.

A flash of golden light temporarily blinded her, and she made a mental note about stopping Erza from Requipping in dark or confined spaces.

The sound of crackling ice filled the air soon after, Gray's hand moving ever so slowly towards the floor. It was suddenly freezing, and she sighed, he had accidentally frozen their feet along with the floor. She was glad he didn't try and do it slowly, that plan had a high risk of pushing themselves off the bridge instead of sticking to it.

Climbing out of the carriage wasn't hard, especially when she considers the beasts she and her spirits had to face for jobs. (Some of those jobs required an alarming amount of flexibility).

When they finally got out of their precarious position, she let out a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding, though, that explained the dizziness.

As they caught their breath, cackling laughter brought them out of their trance. Erigor sat in the air, looking down his nose at them, "I'm surprised you all got out of that alive, without any injuries no less! I wasn't expecting Council dogs like you to know what to do without orders, oh well, I guess I'll simply have to do it myself." Suddenly he was in their faces, leering at them with a smirk, "I do hope you survive long enough to be of amusement."

The first time he sent a gust of wind at them they weren't ready, the second time; he had them trapped in the carriage, the third; they were going to give back just as much as they received. Matching grins spread across Lucy and Natsu's faces in perfect synchrony, unnerving Happy.

He knew what those matching grins meant; someone's face was about to be imprinted upon the dirt, and even though the words following the smiles weren't directed at him, he still felt a shudder make its way down his spine.

With the synchrony they had long since mastered, they spoke, "It's been a-" Lucy started, "long time hasn't it?" Natsu finished, no pause at all between their half sentences.

"I suggest-" Lucy.

"we let the other's-" Natsu.

"go on?" Lucy.

Natsu, "You read-"

Lucy, "my mind."

It continued to freak Happy out, though he suspected Gray and Erza were included, only, they didn't show it.

Erigor looked increasingly concerned, as far as he knew, Light Guild members weren't supposed to act like one of the dark mages who had seen far too much and gone insane. Had he picked the wrong carriage? No, the red-headed one had the crest of Fairy Tail on her, and now that he was looking, so did the blue and pink-haired ones.

Natsu and Lucy's conversation continued, finishing sentences before they started, while the real conversation continued in her mind, between Saol and Amanzi, her tacticians.

Lucy shot a glance at Erza, she looked anxious to leave, which meant something had seriously freaked her out if she was showing her emotions that easily. She wanted her and Gray to go already; Lucy didn't mind showing off, especially to her guildmates, but they'd be more than useless; they'd be a liability.

Natsu agreed, considering he was playing along. However, he probably thought it was because using Zivel usually destroyed a considerable area, and he didn't want them caught in the crossfire.

(He knew they could take care of themselves, but ultimately, they wouldn't be able to do anything, and if they went ahead, they could warn the Guild Masters about Eisenwald and Lullaby so they could prepare.)

Natsu leapt forward with Happy holding him up once Gray and Erza were far out of sight. They flew up to face the dark mage, but they were blown back by another gust of wind, only this time he didn't use the wind attack to push them back; he used it to cut, tear, and shred opponents. The head-on attack didn't affect Happy because he was behind Natsu's body, but that meant his temporary shield had numerous cuts on his body, they weren't deep, so all he felt was a little stinging pain.

Amanzi was ready when she called on her, magic eagerly making its home in her systems. She had read up on the technique that allowed her to conduct two of her spirits through Zivel, essentially creating a Unison Raid. So, she figured she could do the same with only one, channelling the full force of one of them, temporarily taking possession of their magic. 

The downside is that using the magic is unavailable to her until she unlocks one of the higher stages of her ability; she can only let her magic take on attributes. Usually, when she uses her magic in tandem with a Draconis; her whip became a long flexible water blade or forming small but sharp thorns along the edges.

She could see the flow of magic in Erigor's body, settling in his hands; he was building up another attack. Following his gaze, she realized something; he had forgotten she was there, his entire focus centred on the opponent in front of him. She would have to fix that. 

Sending her whip in to tear at his hands wasn't hard, the sharpened magic skirting under his defences. He jerked his hands back and the magic building in them reintegrated back into his system. Natsu took the opportunity she provided him, slamming his fist into the white-haired man's face, sending him crashing to the ground.

Dust flew up from the crater after he landed, stirred up by their opponent's wind magic. Happy slowly lowered his partner onto the ground, face completely serious, none of the emotions that were previously on his face present.

The dust suddenly scattered, blown away by the wind armour the dark mage had taken the time to establish while they were blinded. He flew up into the air, and Lucy nearly dispelled her whip, she knew it wouldn't be any help in this fight, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to be cautious.

While she was in the arena, she had figured out that she could enhance her muscles with her magic, something that was usually impossible for other mages but only because of their nature. She figured she was one of the few mages whose magic would allow her to enhance herself; without tearing herself to pieces, Bisca, Alzack and possibly Erza being the only others she knew.

Using her enhancement technique, she flew at Natsu, grabbing his vest to throw him at their enemy. They had practised against, and with her other spirits, it usually worked at least once, due to the surprise element, most expected her to fly at them, not fling her partner.

Shock found its way onto Erigor's face, and she had a sense of smug satisfaction, glad that her strategy worked. Her next tactic wasn't quite so successful; he had made the mistake of not paying attention to her once; he wouldn't do it again.

Several more strategies failed; they tried their throwing technique again, got Happy to try and attach to his back and destabilize his flight, even Natsu re-engaging in mid-air combat didn't bring them the win they needed.

Accepting that she would need to summon one of her spirits for this, she grabbed Lura's key, and her form shaped itself from the dirt and stone of the plateau's canyon.

Lura didn't waste any time, creating pillars of stone to snap at his ankles. They were never fast enough to catch him, but the distractions were making opportunities, opportunities that grew larger and more numerous every time Natsu got a hit in.

Eventually, Natsu hit him solidly enough he sent that Erigor's lifeless body was hurtling towards the ground, creating a large crater, this time with the appropriate amount of dust; the dark mage was unconscious.

Thanking Amanzi, she let go of the iron grip she had on her magic, whishing someone had realized that the fewer spirits connected to her, the less of the risk and power. But it would also lessen the amount of control she had to exert even to keep her whip out, let alone summon someone.

Erza had handed her a pair of magic cuffs and some rope before she left, so she tied the dark mage up and stuffed him in the trunk along with the other Eisenwald member, they couldn't leave anybody on the side of a road, no matter who they were and no matter how hard she wanted to.

* * *

Gray was concerned; Erza had been glaring at a patch of grass for half an hour now, with no sign of what caused it, or when she was going to stop. He sighed and settled down to meditate, readying himself for the inevitable wait; it was something the Master had introduced in an attempt to curb the copious amount of property damage bills. 

Not many people still did it, they either hadn't had enough time to sit and sort their thoughts for a couple of hours, or they thought it was stupid and a waste of time. He had once been a part of the latter group, although since then he found it had slightly increased his magic reserves and his control, so he tried to set aside time every day.

His thoughts drifted back to before they left, when he had challenged Natsu, he had felt an inexplicable urge to wrap his hands around his neck and squeeze until it snapped. Only just managing to smother it into what he phrased it as; a no-holds-barred spar, only with the bonus of offloading some of his jealousy.

He knew he had no reason to be jealous, but it didn't stop him from feeling it; it wasn't Natsu's fault someone took his memories from him and consequently some of his skills. But when looking into it further, he realized it wasn't jealousy at all, the emotion he felt was fear. It wasn't like the fear he was used to pushing past, the fear of physical harm, to him or someone he cared about – it was the fear of abandonment; something his parents, then his mentor, and then the closest thing he had to a sibling had incited when he lost them.

Startled out of his meditation by the sound of a fast-approaching vehicle, he left his introspection for later, when he was alone. By now Erza had escaped from her thoughts and had been practising her kata's when the lacrima-powered carriage had approached the Guild Masters meeting hall.

They still held onto suspicion; the ones driving may not be their teammates, Erigor or one of his guildmates may've escaped and snagged a carriage and made their way here. 

(They deliberately didn't think about the possibility Erigor had defeated, _~~killed~~_ , their teammates.) 

Thankfully the two that had bounded out of the carriage were his teammates, he didn't want to freeze random civilians who didn't know any better, and he especially didn't feel up for a fight, not like he usually did.


	18. Lullaby

Erza wasn't all there right now, Lucy could tell; unfocused glares at patches of grass, getting lost in her train of thought, and whenever someone that wasn't her teammates or Master would enter her bubble, she would jump, summon a sword, and point it at the intruder.

But regardless of sharp objects pointed at civilian's faces, Natsu had put the Demon Flute Lullaby in the boot with Erigor, and the other Eisenwald member, which meant _consequences_. Consequences like; the giant Demon made of wood that is hell-bent on destroying them. Them and the mountain behind her of course.

Erigor and the still unknown Eisenwald member were poking around where the Council's army had dropped a lot of stuff, probably looking for something to unlock their cuffs. 

The army that she just noticed, if only because she could nearly see how much fear was permeating the air, most of it originating from the now retreating men.

Their rope bonds were long-gone, though, she should've expected that; they were members of a Dark Guild, after all, they definitely knew some tricks to get out of ropes. And even if they didn't find anything to unlock them, they would still want to get away from the impending fight between the Demon and her teammates.

Lullaby roared, bringing her attention back to the standoff between them, both sides were tensed in preparation for the other side to attack. It didn't last long, Lullaby laughs arrogantly, "You think you can defeat me? Lullaby? Really now, you should know your limits." He turns to look at Lucy, "When I'm finished with your little teammates, I'm going to enjoy playing with you, _My Starlight_." 

Her face lost its colour, paling to ashen grey, _'How does he know about that? Only mom called me that_.' She shook her head and refocused on the fight; the others had taken offence to the distress they had seen on her face, and the sight made warmth pool in her chest. Natsu kicked the Demon in the face; he had run up one of his arms to get there. Erza snapped out of her thoughts, attacking its legs with vicious ferocity with her Heaven's Wheel armour, leaving Gray to shoot Ice-Make: Lance's at its torso.

The Demon shot several orbs of magic from its mouth, aiming at Natsu, and when he dodges them, they continue on their path, towards the Guild Masters. 

Magic urging her to do something – Kill _Destroy **Protect Save**_ \- flooded her systems. The same urge she had gotten while fighting Duke Everlue so long ago.

She grins madly and wills her magic to her hand like she would summon her whip, but something stops her, she doesn't need it, not now. Her magic fights to flatten, so she lets it, curious as to what shape it will take. It makes a flat triangle, but something tells her it's not enough, so she makes more, magic racing to do so, eager to please.

(Sometimes she wonders if her magic was sentient.)

Her magic stops, having completed the task she set, and in front of her is a giant silver shield of hexagons intersected by triangles, wide enough to cover the whole Guild Meeting Building and the Guild Masters behind her.

As soon as her shield was up, Lullaby's magic impacted it, sending her to her knees from the force. She can't hold it for long, she realizes, and she strains to keep it from crumbling while the magic from the Demon continues to fight to break past.

Having her magic outside her sent warning signals throughout her body, her levels were far past being low, and they were so close to dangerous, that she nearly panicked and pulled the magic back to her. Still, she restrained herself, pulling back now when someone could attack again was stupid.

Natsu's attack floods her sight, pushing against her shield. She can feel something drip down from her nose, and the flames are so bright that tears stream down her cheeks. Finally, the fire stops and Lullaby shatters with a thunderous roar.

Perusing the battlefield, she looks for any attacks she might have to defend against and finding none; she dispels her shield. When it disappears, the magic supporting it streams down to surround her in a silver glow, settling back into her systems and sinking under her skin.

Letting out a sigh of relief, she prepares to stand from her kneeling position on the grass. Then the pain hits her, and.

She.

 _Screams_. 

Afterwards, she doesn't know anything else.

* * *

She never enjoys waking up to the infirmary lights; it always means she has failed her team in some way or another, but this time instead of crushing disappointment, the only thing she feels is tired satisfaction. And pain, but that's to be expected.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a familiar shock of pink hair, so she attempts to say something, but only a rasping croak comes out. Natsu still hears it with enhanced hearing, and he rushes over from conversing with Erza in the corner to give her some water.

Once she could talk again without her throat feeling like someone had taken a saw-blade to it, she asked; "What happened?" Natsu and Erza shared a look between them, Natsu had asked her to keep what happened a secret, and she frowned before speaking up, "After you put up the shield to block Lullaby's attack and Natsu's flames," Natsu looks sheepish under the glare she shoots at him, "you drew the magic sustaining it, back into you, but the force it had put you under was immense.

So, when the magic settled, the shock of going between having nearly no magic, to having almost full reserves, as well as your straining to control the shield, put you in enough pain that you passed out. When we rushed over to help, the Masters told us you had been bleeding from the nose for a while, and after blocking Natsu's attack, your eyes started bleeding as well." 

Natsu picked up after Erza, "After you passed out, Loke, Virgo and Amanzi summoned themselves, and Virgo and Amanzi started to treat you, while Loke chewed us out. Specifically, me, after Virgo offhandedly mentioned that you would've been relatively fine after blocking Lullaby's attack. But, my fire was strong enough to cause the strain to damage your body significantly.

Even though you shouldn't have been affected by it, subconsciously you must've realized the Guild Masters behind you would've been burnt, so your shield blocked it. Covering the Meeting Hall didn't help either, and while they were happy we didn't destroy it like we usually do, they didn't want it to come at the cost of your health." He sighed, then opened his mouth to say something else.

"But, enough about that, how are you feeling." Erza cuts in before he could say anything more.

She sinks into her core, and after evaluating her pain and magic levels, says, "Actually, I'm feeling a lot better." Natsu deflated into a puddle in relief before she continued with a mischievous tone, "So, where's the safest place for destructive training?" 

The previously-a-puddle spirit stared at her with suspicion, "And how do we know you won't just end up here again?" It was a valid concern, but she had thought this through, "I'll get Saol to supervise, and you can come if you want." She chirped.

Erza thought it over, and eventually, when she couldn't find any obvious faults, she relented to the blond-haired mage's enthusiasm and gave her directions to where she usually trained. Normally, she would've let them go to Natsu's area, but her clearing had runes for containing the damage, and she wasn't going to use it for a while, so it was probably safer that way.

As Lucy skipped out the door, a despondent Natsu trailing after her, Gray sidled up to her. And even though there was only silence, they both understood that things were changing, if they hadn't already.

When they arrived at the training ground, Natsu laid his hand on his summoners shoulder before she took off to the rune-encased clearing. She turned to him, a curious look in her eye, and he led them over to the shadow of an unusually large Oak.

"You know how I was going to say something earlier, but Erza cut me off?" She vaguely remembers something like that, but most of her brain-power was fuelling her excitement, so it was all fuzzy. She nods her head anyways.

"I was going to tell you about this," He slips a sunset-orange and silver key out of the folds of his scarf. And she's marvelled over her keys enough to recognize the Draconis on sight, even if she doesn't know which one it is exactly. Natsu continues, ignorant of her recognition, "but Erza figured it was best to do it in private." 

She launches herself at the pink-haired man before her, loudly squealing even as he reaches up to rub at his ear. Nearly snatching the key from his grasp, she asks excitedly, "Where did you get it?"

* * *

**Flashback**

_A bloodcurdling scream penetrated his ears. He knew who's screaming that was, he could feel the_ pain _tearing through the bond, and he knew the others would feel the same, they could feel the_ **riptearshred** _of her magic running rampant through her body. And if he nearly collapsed, when he had been fighting for almost his whole human life – he was no stranger to pain – then, how would she feel._

_He could nearly taste the worry, something almost tangible to his enhanced senses._

_Stumbling over to Lucy had never been harder, his muscles taught in pain, breath coming out in harsh gasps, and his iron-grip on his fire was slipping._

_It was getting harder to think, to move, breath, anything. All he could feel was the all-consuming pain, and all he could hear was her scream on a torturous loop as he writhed on the ground, flames licking at his form._

_By this time Gray and Erza had noticed his position; knelt on the ground, crawling towards his summoner even as he whimpered in a ball, surrounded by fire._

_Suddenly, it all stopped, but he was too confused to process it, too stuck in the loop his mind had created. The circuits of_ pain, scream, pain _, again, and again, and again._

 _Time continued, he doesn't know how much, but as he lay there helpless, only one thing invaded his pain-riddled mind._ 'Lucy _'._

_A hand on his shoulder sent a wave of fire out to every direction, but still, the hand stayed. It helped ground him, bring him back to the present. 'There is no pain', the hand seemed to tell him, 'The suffering has stopped'. A spark of hope, filled his chest, had the pain stopped? Was she suffering no longer?_

_But those thoughts brought about something dark, something he couldn't let go. Was she dead? Was that why the pain and suffering had stopped? Had she left him? The hand tightened in an almost reassuring way, 'No,' it told him, 'She is not dead.' The hand left his shoulder, leaving him flailing in the colourless void. 'All you need to do is stand. Stand, and you can see her again, alive and breathing.'_

_He could do that, could stand, if only to see Queen again. So, he did, he pulled his feet under him, onto his knees, hands flat on the floor beneath him, and he pushed. At first, it was like every force in the world was trying to push him down, but he knew this feeling, could recognize this, so, he pushed harder, and slowly, but surely, the restraints of gravity and exhaustion slipped off, leaving him free to do as he pleases._

_The colourless void bled away, filling his sight with more than he'd ever thought he'd see again. He was so glad to be out of that cold and unfeeling sense of defeat, but he was sure he'd been there for hours, if not days._

_There was no hand on his shoulder when he came to, but that was fine, all he needed was Queen, and she was right there in front of him. But, there was others, one packmate, and two unknowns._

_That was not okay. Pack was fine; he could live with that, the others though, they needed to go. Go now._

_His upper back twitched, there was something that was missing. What was he missing? It seemed important, but he could deal with it later, now, he needed to get the intruders away._

_Something brushed against him, that was fine, she was pack, she knew. He could recognize those eyes anywhere._

_They finally went away, leaving them to take care of their Queen, and for all they called her Princess, that was what she was._

_He let his fire out, briefly wondering why it was so tightly bound, relishing in the heat as it surrounded them, it wouldn't hurt Queen or pack. Water let her magic spill out, just like he wouldn't hurt her, she wouldn't hurt him._

_Two others that weren't pack approached them, he paused when they smelled like pack, but he knew they weren't. He decided one was okay, but he wouldn't let two pack-not-pack close, not even when it was his scent on them._

_Space couldn't hurt him, but Ice could, so he let Space in closer, baring his teeth at Ice when he tried to follow. It would hurt Queen if he weren't cautious enough._

_Poison, Life and Earth arrived, excellent, Queen needed help. Life could help Water heal, and Earth and Poison were outstanding at defence._

_Momentarily, he distracted Earth from her defence duties, asking her if she could make them a shelter underground. She paused, before nodding and the whole area around him sunk into the ground._

_Ice's face twisted into a pale imitation of a snarl, clearly not happy with having his pack-not-packmate taken with them. Alright, if that's how he wanted it, that's how he'd have it._

_He got a considerable amount of satisfaction from Space cuffing Ice across the head for his intervention as the hole closed up._

_Poison stayed nearly aboveground, keeping watch over their Den, while Earth set up in a corner to meditate, ready to feel if anyone was coming. He lit himself on fire, coming close enough to Queen that she wouldn't freeze, but far enough he wasn't in the way of Life and Water._

_Eventually, Queen stirred, and Earth brought their Den back to the surface, where the sun had set and risen long ago. He basked in the midday rays of the sun, just like his other packmates, stretching and settling around Queen in a loose circle, ready to protect her if she needed it, but they knew they wouldn't be able to do anything more._

_One of the strong not-pack Queen had shielded approached him, body-language peaceful and soothing. He opened his other eye to observe the lanky human in purple, quietly daring him to try something, but all he did was place something on the ground in front of him._

_It looked familiar, but the longer he stared, the more it annoyed him, and he was about to swipe it back at the human, but something caught his attention, on Queen's hip were more of those familiar things. Slowly he stretched his paw out, dragging the gift towards his chest._

**End Flashback**

* * *

_She launches herself at the pink-haired man in front of her, squealing loudly even as he reaches up to rub his ear. Nearly snatching the key from his grasp, she asks excitedly, "Where did you get it?"_

He brings his hand up to rub at the back of his neck as he laughs nervously, "I, um, while we fought Lullaby, one of the Guild Masters recognized your keys, I think he said his name was Goldmine. And he said that he only had one Celestial Spirit mage, and he didn't recognize the key and didn't have the magic to summon it anyways, so he gave it to you, seeing as you already had five and were part of Fairy Tail." 

Resolving to thank the man at the next possible opportunity, she quickly tucks the key into her bag, and she sets out for the clearing, shooting over her shoulder, "Well? Are you coming?" 


	19. Iota Draconis and Promises

Once they entered the clearing, Freed's runes lit up the area, staining everything purple. She studiously ignores the way Natsu's hair turns black, looking incredibly like Gray. She was sure he wouldn't appreciate the comment.

Calling out, "Gate of the Lion, I open thee! Leo!" and pushing twice, thrice, quadruple the amount she usually gives into his key; he eventually appears in a golden ball almost three times the size of her. Natsu gapes, his mouth opening and shutting like a fish at the admittedly awe-inspiring sight of Loke's most powerful form, represented by the amount of magic she had supplied him.

Natsu is still speechless, and Loke huffs, sending warm air brushing past her. Natsu tilts his head; either talking or listening to one of the others, before he laughs, a bright smile stretching across his face.

Vivid colours explode across her vision, each of her spirits forming out of their elements. Erik's the first one to say anything, "So this is Loke then? I had heard theories bouncing around that he had another form, but I didn't think it'd be this big." She can hear Amanzi snicker at the unintentional innuendo. But, knowing Erik, it probably wasn't.

Loke snorts, and while shrinking, he says, "Yeah yeah, laugh it up, it's not my fault Lucy shoved enough magic into my key to level a building." When the glow dies down, he's slightly larger than the average lion. He makes his way over to her, twining through the six pairs of legs to settle at her feet.

She drops down to the ground, flopping onto the soft flank of the lion Zodiac. He starts a rumbling purr that makes her limbs jelly as she scratches behind his ears.

When the other spirits in the clearing stumble over themselves and each other to settle down beside Natsu, or the lion she's leaning on, she's not surprised to see them relax and loop themselves into a ball like Natsu. She is surprised, however, to hear the same rumbling emitting from the lion underneath her, coming from all sides. Each of her Draconis, even Erik, was purring where they were coiled loosely against her.

The purring they were producing was relaxing themselves and each other in turn as they fell asleep, eventually dying out as they dropped into blissful unconsciousness. And while sleep was tempting, she had something to do.

Lucy pulled out her mother's book, situating it on her lap as she sat cross-legged, surrounded by her cat-like spirits. She quickly flipped to their section and pulled out her journal.

She didn't have to look long; on the second page, just after Natsu's, was a sketch that matched the key in her hand. Twining, sunset-orange designs covered the platinum, reaching out like sunlight.

Double-checking against the book on her lap, she sliced the key through the air, calling out softly, "Rise, Iota Draconis, and give me the strength to vanquish those I call my enemies." 

A glowing ball of orange formed in front of her, the rays of orange light changed to gold and eventually becoming too faded to see. Out of the orange and gold light, a dark woman with waist-length yellow hair with orange flecks stepped forward; she was wearing a long dress that faded from yellow to orange then red from the top down, with a slit up to her upper right thigh so she could fight. The dress had sleeves down to the wrist and stopped below the collarbone, her shoulders and neck free. Orange-brown ankle boots with a small heel covered her feet.

The woman stepped over to her, and then briefly glowed orange, relaxing as the wave of energy disappeared. "Ma'am, I am the Sun Draconis, Aurinko, please call me Rin." Her tone was militant, and she did a short bow before returning to her straight-backed posture. "My abilities include; Strategy, Planning, Hand-to-Hand Combat, Infiltration, Minor Sensing Skills, and I can control the temperature around me in small amounts. I am free every day except Tuesday and would be willing to enter a contract with you." 

Lucy blinked, absorbing the information before smiling, "Thank you, Rin." Her smile slipped off her face, "Now, do you remember a fight roughly, 674 years ago, against the Water Draconis, Amanzi?" Her tone was deceptively light, and if someone were to listen to only her voice, they would think she was merely curious.

Rin startled before composing herself enough to answer, "Yes, I do remember that fight, her Master was a fool to keep her out, her water was not a good match against my sun, but she was a good fight regardless. If I were to meet her again, I would apologize for her punishment; I overheard her Master muttering about sealing her away." 

The slightly hostile air surrounding them changed to something far more friendly at her answer, "Good. I don't like my friends fighting." She reached over Natsu at her side, and Saol curled up against him, to shake the shoulder of her blue-haired spirit.

Amanzi yawned as she stretched, blinking at the new arrival. _"Afternoon Princess, is she the new key Natsu acquired?"_ She's not shocked to find that none of them had woken when Lucy had summoned the Sun Draconis, all of them slept deeply when they did the occasional cuddle-pile.

She nodded, "She has entered a contract with me. But, I just wanted to ask, is there any ill will between you two? It's perfectly understandable if there is, and it's no bother to make a note not to summon you two together." Amanzi had looked like she was going to decline, so she didn't agonize over it, and she hurried to clarify.

 _"It's alright, Princess; I hold no animosity towards Aurinko, she was only doing what her summoner asked of her, you don't need to worry."_ She smiled, head tilting in amusement as she watched the stress leave her summoner's form. 

She turns to the other female in the clearing when the darker woman speaks up, "I would like to apologize, Miss Amanzi, for how our last fight ended. It was not honourable for your previous Master to imprison you for his mistake." She bows at the other spirit, momentarily forgetting about Lucy behind her.

Lucy smiled softly, glad to see there was no resentment or tension between the two. She settles down to sleep, satisfaction filling her before she drops off, letting the other two females continue their conversation.

* * *

She does not want to get up. 

Unfortunately, she had to. 

The pile of limbs reminds her of the last time this had happened while they were in Loke's domain, with Senis, Acan and Taivin, although she doesn't know why Canis Major or Minor didn't join in.

But, she had promised to spend more time with her Zodiac, so that's what she's going to do. She had even made a schedule for it; Loke, Aquarius, Cancer, Taurus, and then Virgo.

Aquarius was up next, seeing as she had fallen asleep on Loke. She mentally checks the day, time and how many times she'd summoned her this month, shuddering when she realizes it was the last time for a while Aquarius would answer her summons.

Slicing the key through the lake a ways away from the clearing, Aquarius appeared in the usual chiming and golden light. Immediately she zeroed in on her form, her perpetual scowl deepening and eyes narrowing. " _What."_

"I wanted to know if you would like to do anything in Earthland, maybe go on a date or something?" She'd come a long way from the stuttering girl who would shrink away from the mermaid's glare, so her tone was firm and unwavering.

Her eyes narrowed further, becoming slits in her suspicion. "Why?" It seemed like today she would be getting monosyllabic answers only.

"Because I've realized that even though most people have heard of the Zodiac Keys, no one really knows you guys and that I'm in a unique position to fix, or at least help, that." She matched the spirits stare, not lowering her gaze an inch.

Staying true to the pattern, she said, "Park, Leave Key, Water" and disappeared.

She shrugged and walked back to the sleeping lion and Draconis spirits, making a mental note to leave Aquarius' key in the park water fountain. 

By the time she had gotten back, everyone except Lura was awake. But the Earth Spirit was stumbling past trees as she tried to make her way to the lake she had just left, so she didn't count.

Loke is back to his humanoid form, tail and ears twitching in her direction as she entered the clearing. Natsu and Saol launch themselves at her, and they brush past Erik and Loke respectively, sending them crashing into their conversation partners, Amanzi and Aurinko.

Saol, for some reason, is not liked by Loke. By the looks sent by Loke, it seems to be petty dislike, but it could be something more, so she files the information away to look at at a later date.

The only one spared by the flailing limbs is Lura, who gets involved anyways by slinging mud while they were trying to untangle themselves.

In the end, they all trudge back to the lake, covered in mud from head to toe. Amanzi looks oddly delighted when she dives into the water, and she tries to hide her childish glee, but she notices. So do the others, and it starts another war, only this time with water and not mud.

* * *

She calls Cancer out when they had given up on their hair, and after they give their agreement, she tells Cancer that he can go wild. She knows that it was the right thing to do when his eyes light up at the prospect of doing whatever he wants on six people's hair, Loke and Erik having opted out.

Natsu ends up with a simple undercut, pink hair flopping over to the right. But despite the simplicity, it looked excellent on him. 

Aurinko is sporting a hair-do that wouldn't look out of place at a royal ball; tucked behind long pointed ears were small wisps of orange hair, and the rest was twisted elegantly into flowers. 

He'd had gone a much different way with Saol's hair than with Natsu's. He had lengthened it before twisting small parts into intricate braids that started at the base of his skull, green fabric tied into them, and pulling the rest into a low ponytail, tied by strips of leather. 

Amanzi's was similar to Aurinko's, elegant, but simple where hers was sophisticated. Cancer seemed to have a thing for doing braids because Amanzi had long braids stretching across her head in a wave pattern. Braid after braid fell down her head from left to right.

Lura had kept her short hair, but the length was the only thing that was the same. Cancer had bleached it, making it now white as snow, with green streaking through it. The green almost looked like it glowed. 

She couldn't quite see her hair, but Amanzi had described it as "Someone had braided the colours of the rainbow into it." Cancer had followed the braiding theme; he had twisted every lock of hair into tri-colour braids, with one part her natural blond, another with the blond dyed, and the last was a piece of fabric. No braid was the same colour, but she had found several that represented the contracts she had with her spirits. 

Playing with a braid that was dyed red with gold fabric – Cancer's –, she found one of its partners; red with silver fabric that had purple designs woven into it; Natsu's.

Cancer had equal amounts of satisfaction and unholy glee in his eyes by the time he finished, and the look remained when he bowed before thanking her and disappearing back to his home dimension.

She suspected he'd have the expression for a while, it had been far too long since they had let loose.

* * *

The last time he saw his Master, she had been under incredible amounts of stress, just like the time before and before that. To him, it had always seemed like there was some sort of force that was against her; making everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Like a convoluted Murphy's Law.

He spots her slightly mangled hands almost immediately, and the guilt hits hard; making him look away. Her feet enter his line of sight, and arms wrap around his waist.

Slowly he kneels and wraps his arms around her, carefully regulating his strength, before mumbling, "Miss Lucy? What are you doing?" 

"It seemed like you needed it…" She sounded guilty. He frowned; she didn't have anything to be guilty for. 

"Miss Lucy," He stops, not knowing quite what to say, but she understood anyways.

"It's fine Taurus. I'm okay." She stepped back, carefully untangling herself from him. "I called you out because I wanted to ask you something." 

Her tone sounded like whatever she asked him would be crucial, so he trained his full attention on her. She took a deep breath, "It came to my attention that I was neglecting to summon you guys, unintentionally calling out one of the Draconis when one of you would work just as well. And I wanted to apologize for that, you, Aquarius, and Cancer have been with me since forever, and it was unfair of me to pass over you for one of the Draconis." She hung her head, looking at the floor.

Taurus didn't, couldn't say anything, so the silence stretched on.

While his mind was reeling from the onslaught, she continued with a lighter tone, "So, I wanted to ask how to make it up to you." She flopped onto the ground, opposite where he was still crouched. He thought on how to answer her best as he refolded himself.

His answer came to him just after the pink-haired-spirit-that-wasn't-Virgo disappeared from where he was chatting to the others on the other side of the clearing, saying something about a mission? He couldn't quite hear what he'd said.

He started slowly, "If it's possible, Miss Lucy, I'd like for you to call me whenever you have injuries. None of your current spirits are healers, so until you receive someone who can do that, I'd like to fulfil that role.

She was staring at him with a strange look on her face, but he had an idea why. He, a giant bull, someone Celestial Spirit Mages calls when they need massive physical strength, was volunteering to be a healer. 

"Why…? Not that you can't, but wouldn't you rather something else?" She couldn't understand; it was evident on her face, so he'd explain.

"When you entered my domain, it surprised me; Not one of my masters had ever appeared there. And by the time I realized it was you, Berserker was at full strength, and it was too late.  
You were there for hours, Miss Lucy, and I could only watch as you tore into the axe. When you came out of it, they were so mangled there was no flesh, only muscle, bone and blood." He could see she understood now.

"I see. You want to make up for that. Okay then, I'll summon you whenever we have injuries. Thank you for being honest." Her tone shifted to something lighter. "Now, enough serious talk, would you like to do something while you're still here, or would you like to go back?" 

Shooting her a grateful look, he stood up, "Thank you, Miss Lucy, but I'd like to go back." She nodded and his vision blacked out for a second as he travelled back to the spirit world.

* * *

She summons Virgo in a shady back-alley building, paid for in cash. She's not worried about trouble – even when it seems like she's a magnet for it.

The building they're facing is run-down and dilapidated with no shelter from the elements; walls crumbling into piles on the floor, various suspicious liquids collecting in the potholes, and the ceiling had long since caved in.

Virgo turns to her, a vicious grin on her face. She can feel her mouth lifting into a mimicry of the one on the pink-haired spirit, and the maniacal laughter echoing through the area drives away anyone stupid enough to have a go at the two. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aurinko  
> (Aoh-rin-ko)


	20. Tournament

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, you guys are in for a wild ride...

A foot to Lucy's gut is what wakes her that morning. The sun is still down, the moon bright and high in the sky, and it illuminates the pink-haired man and his cat climbing through her window. She sits up slowly, and the two back away into a corner, trying to get away from her. Their backs hit the wall, and their eyes widen, realizing they've trapped themselves.

Looming over them, she asks mercilessly, "Why? The hell? Are you in my apartment? At three in the morning?!" Happy had gone back to living with Natsu when they figured out how to let Natsu sleep while summoned on his own power, so her eyes are wild as she stares down the two intruders. They shrink back into the corner, eyes darting around the room.

Her eyebrow raises when they start looking for an escape, silently daring them to try and get their way out of their punishment. They start panicking, glancing around frantically before looking at the ground, giving up. 

She crosses her arms over her chest, and leans on one hip, taking a pose she'd seen Erza do when Natsu and Gray fight, before she asks, "Well? I'm waiting." Natsu seems content to sit in the corner quietly, neither admitting nor denying his guilt. Happy doesn't get the memo, launching into a rambling tirade that she can't quite understand.

Happy's wings still are flapping a mile a minute – something he tends to do when anxious, never mind the fact he doesn't need to –, generating a wind that flips the end of Natsu's scarf to smack him in the face.

His bewildered and betrayed look at the offending piece of fabric sends her into hysterics, successfully cutting off Happy's outburst from where he hovers in front of her face. He takes one look at Natsu and joins her on the floor.

After they get a hold on their laughter, Lucy goes back to staring at the two boys, still demanding an answer. "We. Um. Erza sent us!" He rushes out, looking panicked. She doesn't believe him, and it must show on her face because he continues with, "Really, she did! She told us to tell you she wants to meet up at the station in a half-hour, while she went and told Gray!"

Eyeing him suspiciously before relenting, she grabs one of each of their ears as she tells them both, "Listen to me. You. Will never. Enter my apartment. Through the window. Is that clear?" She pulls them closer, and raises her voice, "I said. Is. That. Clear?" They nod frantically, hurriedly mumbling their agreements. 

Letting go, she leaves them to raid her kitchen while she packs her bags for the tournament. When her bags are packed, she calls out, "Alright, let's go." before ignoring them to walk out the door.

When they reach the station, she spots a dead looking Gray leaning against a support column next to Erza, who looks like normal - if one were to ignore she was wearing pyjamas with desserts covering them.

Erza yawns, waving a hand in greeting before explaining, "Master wants us to-" She cuts herself off with another yawn, "-get there early, so we can prepare. He sent me to wake you all up so we could leave immediately."

Now that she's closer, Gray looks wet, like someone had dumped water on him. She lets out a short huff of laughter, drawing his attention, she gestures to him, while answering his unspoken question, "You look like a drowned rat." 

He seems disgruntled at her observation, which only makes him look more like her comparison as they file onto the train. Natsu disappears and Happy settles on her lap when she sits down.

While the train makes its way to the neutral grounds by Lamia Scale, they try to get some more sleep.

* * *

She had long since given up on sleeping, and her sleep-deprived paranoia made her jump as a loud snore that was accompanied by the rattling of metal echoed throughout their cabin.

Gray had fallen back to sleep immediately after he settled down, so she shot him a glare. She would learn his secret one day, hopefully soon.

A particularly loud snore roused him slightly, and he cracked an eye open to see her staring at him. She blushed as she realized he'd caught her, but quickly composed herself when he sighed, asking with a raised eyebrow, "You haven't slept yet, have you?"

The blush that had just gone down came back at full force, turning her bright red even in the low light of the night. "No. I haven't. How do you sleep with that?" She flapped her hand in the direction of the snores.

He smirked, but his expression didn't match the long-suffering tone, "Practice, Lucy, practice. We've been lumped on many missions together, and most of them took more than a few hours."

Her face scrunched up in sympathy. "Yikes. So, what do we do now?"

Blinking in surprise, he frowned, trying to come up with an answer. "There has been one thing that was bothering me for a while, about Zivel and what comes with it. I know you showed off to us, but I know when you first accessed it, you nearly died."

"There are some things that are too personal, but I don't mind answering what I can." She had to make sure he knew that, there was no way she was ready to tell him, let alone anybody else, about her childhood.

"Of course. Now, what is up with your magic? When you first joined, it was gold, then after that quest with the Duke, it became silver with green and blue, and as far as I know, that doesn't just happen…"

"That day in the infirmary… I explained a bit, didn't I? Or did I just let you hound Natsu for answers…"

"Yeah, we never actually got anything out of you before you sent the guild into a panic when you revealed Natsu and Loke's status as spirits." He huffed in wry amusement, and the two settled into silence for a few moments while Lucy gathered her thoughts.

"Zivel…" She paused, "Zivel is similar to Body-Link Magic, but completely different all the same. My spirits and I are linked, but we don't share sensations, like pain. Instead, we have a telepathic link, and I can temporarily borrow a weak version of their magic's affinities. Meaning, when I summon my whip," She flexed her hand, materializing her weapon as an example, "I can add small flames or coat it in a weak poison."

The whip in her hand took on a faint purple sheen, and small rivulets of liquid ran down the length to pool on the floor. Lucy flicked her hand to the side, dismissing the weapon, but the poison stayed for a while longer before it disappeared with a small hiss.

Gray stared at the floor incredulously, before mouthing ' _What?'_.

Lucy ignored her teammate's disbelief and continued with her explanation. "Along with borrowing their affinities, when I enter Zivel with a spirit, they are absorbed by my magic, allowing me to access approximately eight percent of their magic for each spirit. So, I can use an extra half of each spirits stores, which turns out to be around three times what I usually have." She finishes with a bright smile, relishing in the way Gray just stops, taking a moment to process what she'd said.

A high-pitched strangled noise escapes from him, and she swears that a ghostly visage floats out from his mouth.

Seeing as she wasn't going to get a response from the catatonic Ice Mage, she settles down into her corner and takes advantage of the lack of snores.

Just before she drifts off Gray shouts "WHAT?!" and Erza's armoured hand subconsciously lashes out to hit the back of his head, knocking him out.

* * *

Lucy wanted to strangle someone, preferably Natsu. She'd been woken by a foot to the stomach, only sleeping fitfully on the four-hour train ride because Erza snores – Gray had kept her attention for a while at least – and now; Natsu had gone and pissed off a member of Phantom Lord, who were notorious for being quick to anger and holding grudges. And she has to fight him.

They'd finally finished the solo fights, and the Duo's were up next, which meant she'd have to fight two pissed off Phantom Lord members.

The announcer calls their names, bringing her attention back to the tournament; they were fighting Titan Nose.

Once they were on the stage and the announcer commences the fight, Natsu unleashes his magic, darting forward with a flaming fist to the blond one's jaw. The punch sends him flying, while the whip that was slicing through the air towards his red-haired companion smacks him across the face and head, leaving several long red marks on it as it wraps around him, unwinding to throw his body in the same direction.

She was feeling particularly vicious today.

There's a minute of silence; the audience and announcer were shocked at how easy they defeated the other two before the crowd erupts in cheering as they walk off the stage.

Fights fly past, both of them sustaining numerous small injuries – but they were mostly still in top shape - so she wouldn't summon Taurus just yet. Their match with the Phantom Lord members finally comes up. She was hoping they would get knocked out before-hand, but they didn't, so they'll have to stop them here.

After the announcer begins their fight, the dumb-looking one launches himself at her partner, and the other, the one who might have a modicum of intelligence, summons his magic to settle under the skin of his hands, and they shatter. She blinks, not expecting her opponent to destroy his hands, but even if it weren't his magic, she'd still beat the crap out of him anyways.

Pieces of his hands litter the ground at his feet, sharp edges digging into the hard-packed dirt. They float upwards to hover beside him before he sends them flying. Lucy twists sharply out of the way of the porcelain-like shards dripping blood as they slice through the air where her head was – a fatal blow.

Raising her guard, she studied the opponent in front of her, blocking out anything that wasn't important – he was trying to kill her. His eyes shifted behind her, where the remnants of his hands were flying to her unprotected back. Left foot turned slightly to the left; planning to charge, Shoulders tensed; ready to punch – he was planning to feint a punch after charging at her to make an opening for his shards.

Before he could execute his plan, she enacted her own. She leapt backwards, tucking her hand against the small of her back to form her whip – there was no need to show her tricks early – and whispered to herself, "Gate of the Maiden, I open thee. Virgo," summoning her behind him with him none the wiser.

Natsu's opponent was kicked across her vision, sporting a multitude of bruises as he lay off the edge of the stage, disqualified. A hole opened up underneath the man she was facing, deep enough he wouldn't be able to get out. Virgo smiled evilly, and she watched as the hole she made was closing slowly, threatening him with trying to survive with a reduced amount of air, he called out his surrender and waited for the announcer to declare them the winners.

Strained silence filled the stadium, and she turned around to ask Natsu if he knew why, when the words died in her throat. The whole stadium behind her was in pieces, rubble littering the ground and fabric flying away in the wind. Her attention locked onto her partner, and she lifted an eyebrow. He would know what she was asking.

He looked like he didn't know what she was asking, but she saw the flash of panic in his eyes as he tried to walk away from the destruction, whistling innocently.

Her spirit launched forward when some wizards from another guild approached and grabbing her hand, he ran from the confines of the arena, escaping from the enchanted cuffs they were wielding.

Happy joined them halfway towards their hotel with a golden key clutched in his paws.


	21. Fugitives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I, am very not sorry...
> 
> Have fun~ ;)

When their hotel came in sight, the doors were blocked off by teams of Rune Knights, Erza and Gray standing at the front. She slowed Natsu to a stop with an arm; she could see the rune-traps lying in wait. Erza stepped forward, "Natsu, I apologize, but this time we cannot deny the Council. Lucy is under arrest for 23 cases of destruction of property, 38 of civilian endangerment, and 14 for manslaughter. She will stay imprisoned for a minimum of ten years." 

Gray speaks up from beside her, "If this were your first offence, she'd only get about three months, but with your record of 214 cases of destruction of property and five civilian endangerments, the Council considered it punishment for all your previous cases." He shrugs.

Natsu narrowed his eyes, and snarled, "Why Lucy? She didn't do anything." Erza's posture relaxed, no longer coming across as uncompromising, "She's your summoner Natsu, she's now held responsible for your actions. And I know what you're thinking, you won't be able to get away, however, if you go with them willingly, they might be more lenient."

He bared his teeth and swept his summoner behind him with an arm, a silent act of defiance.

Erza sighed and made a gesture behind her, steeling herself for the fight. The knights stepped forward, staves brought up in defence, and she summoned her sword while Gray readied his magic.

Lucy observed the tight postures of the opposition, seeing no hesitance or regret in her guildmates or the rune knights, even when they knew what Natsu could do, even without magic. 

She brushed her hand against her side, hovering above her keys, and blasted nearly all her magic into them, summoning every Zodiac and Draconis she had. And while they wouldn't be able to fight with her power; her magic was barely enough for them to talk; they could use their stores.

Light exploded behind her, creating a backdrop of swirling colours while red and gold flames engulfed Natsu's form, representative of their bond.

Their opposition shielded their eyes; the light show was almost blinding. The knights all took an unwilling step back, breaking their ranks.

When the light died down, they all stared in awe when they saw how many spirits she had summoned. On her left, the Zodiacs stood, surrounded by shimmering golden light, and on her right, stood her Draconis, in order of the colours enveloping them, Red, Orange, Green, Blue, Purple, and Brown.

They readied themselves; they wouldn't be getting out of here without a significant amount of difficulty. Lucy took a step back, gesturing to her Zodiac, "I'm sorry, I can't hold you all for much longer, and we need to get out of here, so I have to send you back." They all nodded and burst into golden balls of light, and she felt some of her magic return to her. She hoped they wouldn't hold it against her.

It wouldn't be enough, not to escape, she knew this, but there was no way in hell she was going to give up.

Stepping into Zivel was easy, being the seventh time she had used it, but there was something underneath. A layer that she had unlocked only once, while they destroyed the Circu de' la Aestrelas. 

She forced her magic not to absorb her spirits and dropped past the layer she knew was Zivel, and like the last time, there was a word on her tongue. Something she had heard before, but she couldn't remember where.   
  


D̴̨̛̛̜̯̥͕͈̼̗̲̤̭̜̭̰̮̼͖̖̖͕̗̋̈́̓́̓͒̓́̈́̄́̒̇̇͐̉̅̉̒̃̂̚̚̕͜͜͝ͅv̷̢̗̻͇̟̩̬͍̭̹̠̥̜̘̒̂̎͑̍̌̂̾͑̆̌̊͑̓͆̈̆̆̚͠a̷̯̟̰̟̻̥͔͉̩͐̃̈̈́͑̓͂̈́̔͆͋́̔̕͜͝͝͝͝͠͝ś̸͖̫̻̦͚̘͋̍̈́̔̾̈̋́̕̚i̴̡̧̫̥̼͉͎͇̭̺̲̲͔͙̩̥͈̝̳̾̎̆̏͐̈͆͘͘͝a̷̛̛͎̯͎͇̯̝͓͂̌̋̆̈͑͛̑͊̓̔̈̎̾̒̆͛̎̕͜͝

Her dragon shrunk, the silver energy reforming itself to surround her like the gold and other colours surrounded her Draconis. Swirling silver covered her in thin tribal tattoo's winding up limbs.

The compressed energy of Zivel rushed through her, straining the limits of her pathways, but they did not break. She had gotten far used to massive influxes of power.

Glancing to her right, she saw the same designs covered her Draconis, gold-edged colours snaking across their bodies. Their already pointed or long ears sharpened, flattening against their heads.

They moved, standing beside her, three on each side. The pressure they were exuding doubled, sending the newer looking knights to their knees. Erza and Gray stayed standing; they had faced far more powerful energies on their quests.

As one they shifted into the positions best suited for their fighting style and magic. Natsu, Rin, Erik and Lura stood in front of her with Saol and Amanzi in long-range behind her. She was in the middle, sending her whip and shields into the fray.

Natsu flexed his magic, the designs on his wrists and ankles retreating up his arms, while a pair of red wings flared from his shoulder blades, aflame with golden fire.

He lowered himself to the ground, looking completely natural in his positioning. Erik, Saol and Amanzi followed suit, letting out inhuman snarls as elemental wings sprouted from their backs, though, Amanzi's looked like they were better suited for swimming rather than flying.

Rin hadn't bonded with Lucy, but it wouldn't stop her from helping where she could, even if she couldn't fly. And Lura couldn't stand being off the ground, where she was virtually blind, so it made sense that she didn't manifest wings at all, but dense, heady-duty claws on her hands and feet that extended up to her shoulders and hips, styled like scales.

The four front-line fighters launched themselves at the knights, tearing through the masses. More than once she saw Natsu and Erik flap their wings and fly high above the ground, only to dive back at the mage they were currently fighting. And to her left, she could see bright flashes of orange, accompanied by sudden screams that cut off just as soon as they started.

Maniacal laughter floated over from the battlefield, Lura and Erik finding joy in shredding the hopes of the mages bound in water or vines, and occasionally her whip. When the slaughter finished, she realized that she hadn't needed her shields at all, and they were left staring at Erza and Gray.

Erza stared back, before settling into a fighting position, Gray shifting into his own. 

She nodded to herself; she had expected they wouldn't just let them go. Tugging on her bonds with the Draconis, she called them over to her while she receded behind them, using the same strategy as before.

They allowed them to get into position, she knew Erza wanted a fair fight, and Gray just wanted to brawl with Natsu.

Their telepathy bond was useless at the moment, the Draconis too far in their instincts to listen to verbal commands; instead, she used the more primitive way of talking to her spirits, impressions. Rin would understand what she was talking about, even if she wasn't drowning in her instincts.

Turning to Natsu, she sent ' _FightIceSafe'._ He would know not to damage him too severely.

He ran at Gray, looping around him and off to the side, where they wouldn't get in the way of each other's battles. Gray followed him, leaving her and the others to fight Erza. 

Erza was not having fun. At all.

Her day started fine, even if Master woke her at three in the morning to arrive early to the tournament, she wouldn't complain. Then she won her division, receiving her choice of three things, a new set of armour, a magic enhancement artifact or a years' worth of free cake.

She had deliberated briefly over receiving the armour or cake, but the sugary dessert proved to be too much temptation.

After that, she finds out Natsu has pissed off members of Phantom Lord, the idiot. Which, was alright, as long as he won their match. And then, she has to watch in what was first pride, but it became horror as a dodged attack from Natsu flew past its intended target and hit the stands, destroying them. 

Thankfully, by the time it had reached the edge of the stadium, the fire had cooled, but the power behind it was still there, and it impacted the seating with the force of a B-Class wind attack. It reduced the stands to rubble, accidentally killing citizens.

She doesn't think he realized what had happened; neither did Lucy going by the look on her face. But as soon as Lucy spots the damage, Natsu backs away before grabbing her by the hand and sprinting past the mages wielding Magic-Restraining Cuffs by going through the gaping hole, but she knows where he's headed.

They wait outside the hotel, rune traps ready and armed. When the pair arrive, with a floating Happy beside them, they stop outside the range of their runes.

(Something changes. The blond mage isn't Lucy anymore, just another dark mage that was wreaking havoc. Same with Natsu, he wasn't the man she'd grown up with, only someone else. Natsu and Lucy were waiting for them back at the guild; they were going on another job as soon as they got back.)

When she explains their circumstances, something in the male's face changes, she can't identify it, but it sends shivers down her spine, thankfully, her thick armour conceals her reaction.

The female blasts her magic, and she gets ready to fight, but she has to stop herself from staring in awe at the massive silver dragon she summons, along with her Eleven sprits. She had never heard of a Celestial Spirit mage summoning more than three Zodiac spirits, and she knew Draconis took twice as much magic.

Eleven Celestial Spirits, Five of those were Zodiacs, and the six Draconis, their magic was far, far more potent.

The blond mage says something to the Zodiac, and they disperse. Immediately afterwards the magical pressure surrounding the group of seven nearly doubles.

She mumbles something, but it's too low for her to hear. It was probably a spell of some kind because the dragon shrinks and tattoos in the Draconis' respective colours form on their visible limbs. Only the female's look different, instead of colour edged in gold; hers were solid glowing silver. She recognizes the designs as something Levy had shown her once. Celhit? Kilvec? Celtic, that was it.

After the tattoo's form, the magical pressure increases again, forcing some of the knights to their knees. She was going to have words with their commander.

The one in red does something with his magic, and the designs on his arms retreat, ending in a sharp point just above his elbows. The withdrawn magic reforms at his back, making giant crimson, dragon-like wings alight with golden flames. The sight reminds her of Natsu; she'll have to mention it to him.

He lowers himself onto his hands, looking all the world like he belonged down there, like a predator. Two others follow his lead, dropping to the ground. The brown female doesn't manifest wings, but rather lethal claws that extended into scale armour. And the other female - the orange one - just settles into a fighting stance, standing up on two feet, like the blond summoner.

The two supports behind her don't entirely drop to all fours; instead, they crouch down, placing their hands on the ground. Golden poison bubbles on purple wings, just like how gold earth crumbles off of brown armour and claws. The four fling themselves into the fray with a heavy beat, tearing and shredding the Rune Knights.

The field they were in suddenly had a thick layer of water resting on top, capturing those who were vulnerable and vines sprouted from beneath, trapping knights for the rest to tear apart.

They stand just outside the water and vines' range and the winged spirits leave them alone, but she knew that would change as soon as they passed the threshold.

Their massacre finally finishes, and the water drains to a barely-there layer while the vines retreat to just under the surface, ready to attack.

The blond summoner approaches, and she nods to herself when she settles into battle-ready stance, Gray shifting to his own beside her.

The six Draconis settle around her after a second, not straying an inch from their original formation.

She nearly attacks when the pink-haired one runs at Gray, but he only loops around him and races off through the surrounding trees, leading him to their battlefield.

Gray jumps when the red one charges towards him, but he relaxes when he only leads him to a large forested clearing, wide enough that he can use his magic without restraint.

He leaps up, wings beating slowly to keep himself in the air, and dives at him. The sudden attack catches him off guard, and the wings clip his side. The golden fire burns his skin, the temperature at a much higher level than what Natsu uses.

Ice spears launch at him, and he growls before landing to dodge the attack. He drops down to all fours again, speeding towards him.

Blocking the flame-covered fist with an Ice-Make: Shield, he reshapes the ice into twin swords. He swings them at the mage's torso, slicing the flesh to make deep cuts. 

The man? Spirit? pauses, sweeping a wing over his arm to press the flames against the cuts, and when the magic limb retracts, the sluggishly bleeding slices have healed completely.

"Really? Now that's just cheating." He exclaims and flings himself at his pink-haired opponent.

Erik, Lura and Rin leap at Erza after Natsu runs off, racing forwards. And while she sends her whip slicing through the air, Saol tried to trip and capture her with his vines, and Amanzi to slow her down with her water, but Erza wasn't S-Class for nothing. Elegantly whirling away from their attacks, Erza swung the pommel of her sword at the back of Lura's neck. But Erza wasn't used to fighting humans on all-fours, so she manages to twist away.

As she whirls away, Erza comes face to face with Rin's fist, and she ducks, not expecting the glowing orange kick that slammed into her side.

Lura withdraws as Erza crashes into the ground and shoves her hands into the dirt, thrusting magic into the ground to make it unstable and irregular. She leaps back into the fight, dodging Erik's body as it was flung towards her and dived underground, sharp claws easing the way through the densely packed dirt.

She can feel Lura's magic try to hone in on the bouncing Erza, but she wasn't landing on the ground for more than a few seconds.

Erza suddenly stops, and a vine snaps out to bind her arms to her chest, water rushes up to envelop everything but her head, and hands grab her ankles, careful not to cause irreparable damage. Lucy walks forward cautiously, and when she is close enough to touch, Erza glows bright, harsh gold, blinding her. But she doesn't need her eyes to see, so she senses when Erza snaps out bat wings and quickly flies out of her broken bonds.

Lucy decides to try forming her wings; she doesn't like Erza having the height advantage. She had seen what her Draconis had done with their magic, and she replicates it, making silver wings larger than her spirits' had been, covered in golden designs, mimicking the ones on her body. The limbs leave a golden pathway where they cut through the air, making a slowly fading trail where she'd been.

They feel natural, and while she has never used wings before, she knows how to fly. She's running entirely on instinct when she launches into the air, flying at Erza, who startles, not quite expecting her to join her off the ground.

When she reaches her, Erza has recovered from her small shock and has moved out of her flight path. She makes a turn that is only slightly thought out and sweeps a leg out to kick her back down.

The kick misses, but the other leg that follows the first doesn't, hitting her in the ribs, sending the redhead careening away.

By the time Erza rights herself, Erik has joined her in the air, and he tears past Erza with a cloud of poison following him. Lura has decided to stay on the ground with Rin, replacing Amanzi when she follows Erik.

Rin frowns when the battle turns to the air but lets her face stretch into a smirk as she readies her magic. She knows testing out techniques on the battlefield is a sure-fire way to die, but she's confident it'll work.

Compressing magic into a small ball at the palm of her hand, she fires off a high-powered beam into the space Erza would go to dodge one of Saol's vines. The laser burns a smouldering line across her upper arm, just below her shoulder, and hits a tree behind her, leaving a perfectly circular hole an inch into the bark k

Erza's manoeuvrability while in the air lets her easily dodge Saol's vines, and Lucy spies his face twisting in frustration out of the corner of her eyes. His plants have become increasingly more frantic with his rising desperation and twined grass, and thick bark has joined them in his efforts to capture her.

Eventually, he tries something new, guiding the wood to make a giant cage, shrinking down to trap her inside. Lucy can sense the mass of vines and grass has entangled Erza, and signals for Saol to open a hole for Erik to infuse toxins into the air.

The sounds inside the wooden sphere cease suddenly, and she can hear the clatter of Erza's sword as it drops out of her hand.

Carefully, Saol retracts the wood, tense and ready to recapture her if anything goes wrong. Bound in plants, Erza looks almost peaceful while unconscious, if not for the multitude of small slices and puncture wounds she gained from fighting against the thorny vines.

She shoots a look at the Life Draconis; he knew he wasn't supposed to use thorned vines against allies. He looks confused at her glare, and she drops from the air to ask him; " _Why_ are there thorns on your vines Saol?" 

His confused expression immediately changes to distress, and he frantically waves his hands in the air as if it would dispel the accusation. "They weren't there when we started, but I think they appeared when I was getting frustrated when Erza kept dodging."

She relaxes at his answer; she didn't want to believe he was doing it on purpose out of vindictiveness. Bopping him on the head, she relaxes, and the tension leaves the lines of her shoulders. She turns back to the unconscious Requip mage, "Okay, that's fine, I can't expect you to feel no emotions when they heavily influence your magic, but, do try not to do this again."

Looking around the battlefield, she notes her Draconis did a number on the knights, every single one of them was unconscious with minor blood-loss and wouldn't be getting up for a while. None of them were in danger of dying, not at least for a couple of hours, and back up would be arriving soon if she believed the transmitter.

Natsu bursts out from the tree-line, an unconscious Gray on his back. He flies the rest of the way over to them and dumps the ice mage next to Erza on the patch of soft moss Saol had produced. His wings have grown from their previous size, and the tail he has wrapped around his passenger is new, but she did feel the magic Saol, Erik, Lura and Amanzi held in reserve make its way to Natsu.

Her spirits search for any knights that may've been hiding in the forest, and when they find none, something changes in their demeanour. It isn't easily identifiable, but a switch seems to have flipped, going from soldiers under her command back to her slightly draconic spirits who have no self-control whatsoever.

She releases her hold on Dvasia, and they all relax, flopping onto the ground as their wings and other additions disappear. Curiously, their tattoos don't disperse, only fading slightly and losing their glow, leaving the Celtic designs twisting across their bodies.


	22. Ligrac Bread

Natsu's stomach growls, and she raises her eyebrow. He can't possibly be hungry, he'd eaten barely an hour ago when they passed through a small town. Tiaca, she thinks it was. He looks sheepishly at the ground, and Loke snorts, "He hasn't had any flames to eat in a while, so his second stomach gets hungry."

Looking at him again, she can faintly see the redness of a blush on his cheeks and ears.

"What do you think they're doing?" Loke wonders out loud and supports his head with his hands as he stares at the sky. She doesn't need telepathy to know who the conversation was about.

Natsu answers after a moment, shrugging, "Dunno, but ice-prick better not be mopin' around, and Erza's probably working herself to the bone."

Loke hums in agreement, "Yeah, that's reasonable, Scarlet did do that after Lissana died, and she had no involvement in it, so it's gonna be worse this time, she did have to fight you guys after all." There's silence for a few minutes.

Lucy turns around to walk backwards and asks, "Who's Lissana?"

He freezes and glances at Natsu, whose whole body is tense, and he's clenching his jaw. At Loke's movement, he slows and faces Lucy, "Lissana-" He stops, "Lissana was Mirajane and Elfman's little sister, she used the same type of magic they do but with animals. She was also my childhood best friend and helped raise Happy." Lucy gasps and covers her mouth with her hand.

"She died when Mirajane took an S-Class quest with Elfman and Lissana. Mirajane was about to be killed, but Elfman used his Beast Soul: Full-Body Takeover to stop it. He tried to control it, but he was overwhelmed by its power, and he went on a rampage. Elfman hit her into a mountain when she tried to snap him out of it, and the shock allowed him to regain control. But, Lissana was dead nearly immediately after impacting the mountain." His voice was steady, but she saw his clenched fists and eyes that screwed up before he turned away.

They walk for a while longer in silence; no one had any words to say.

When the sun had just set, another town came in sight, with a sign that boasted, ' _Welcome to Relshet! Halfway to Clover Town, with the best Ligrac Bread in Fiore!'_

Loke's mouth watered at the mention of Ligrac Bread, it was supposedly hard to make for its simplicity, but it was his favourite, along with Senis, Acan and Taivin's. He grabbed Lucy's hand, and following his nose, he found the shop where they sold bread, something called a Bakery. Sometimes the girls he had dated mentioned these kinds of places, but he had never been to one himself.

But there was no way he wasn't getting that bread.

His summoner giggled as he dragged her to the Bakery, Natsu chasing after them. Once they arrived, the full force of fresh bread hit his nose, causing him to stop and take it in.

He stumbles a bit when Natsu decides they've been standing there a bit too long and pushes them through the doors.

The employee greets them with a disinterested flap of his hand, and drawls, "Welcome, look around for as long as you like, and come tell me when you've picked out what you want, I'll pack it for you." It sounds rehearsed, and the teen doesn't look up from his book while he talks.

Natsu scoffs at him and wanders around smelling for anything that he wants to taste. Loke heads straight for the display cases, searching for the bread. His head pops up when he doesn't recognize any of the loaves, and he asks the cashier, "DoyouhaveanyLigracbread?" He looks up at the rushed question with a raised eyebrow, and Loke clears his throat before asking again, this time slower, "Do you have any Ligrac bread?"

At Loke's question, he sits up from his slouch and wanders into the back of the shop without a word. Loke stares disbelievingly at the door before slumping over to Natsu, looking half-heartedly over the rest of the selection.

A tinkling sound echoes through the shop, and an aged and greying man exits through the door behind the counter. "Who's the one looking for the Ligrac bread?" Loke straightens, and his ears swivel towards the newcomer before walking over to him.

"That would be me. Do you have any? The sign at the outskirts said you guys sold the best in Fiore." His voice could be called casual, but she knew it was only a farce; the tail he had threaded through his belt loops was twitching, along with his ears.

The old man squints, studying the lion spirit, before stating, "Sorry lad, that sign's old, stopped making the bread long ago." Loke drooped like a wilted flower, and she had to stifle a laugh, shushing Natsu behind her.

He sighs before looking over them with a considering gaze, "Look, lad, lemme ask you this. Are you a mage?"

Loke glances up at the man, suspicion on his face, "Why do you want to know?"

Sighing again he states, "The only reason for your two companions to be wearing long sleeves and pants in this kind of weather, is because you've got something to hide, so you're probably a criminal, and criminals are generally mages – even if they barely know any magic. But, at this point, I'll take anything."

Lucy steps up beside Loke, "Again, why do you want to know? And why would you ask criminals in the first place? If you had offered us a job, we could've killed you and taken your money."

"Yeah, I know, but sometimes criminals are stronger than Light Mages, plus they're more expendable, so I don't feel as bad sending them to their deaths." He laments, slumping into the chair at the counter with his head down.

"Why would you be sending them to their deaths?" At her question, the man smirks, hidden from the mages; he had their attention.

"My niece's husband is the mayor a couple of towns away, and there's a dark mage runnin' around killing people and taking their souls to do his dirty work. All the guild's he's requested to get rid of them have rejected the job, or they send mages, and they die, giving the dark mage more souls to use." He explains with a moan, bringing his hands up to drop his face into them.

Before Natsu can butt in and tell him they'll accept, Lucy asks, "Could we go and discuss this in private before giving you our answer?"

Nodding, he gives them directions to the closest inn. Which was the only inn they had.

* * *

Lucy flops onto her bed for the night, pleasantly surprised when the mattress doesn't feel like a rock – like some inns they had stayed at.

"What do you guys think we should do?" She asks while staring at the ceiling, "I'd like to help, but I want your opinions."

Loke answers first, "I'd also like to help, but we don't have the luxury of accepting every quest anymore, not without a guild if we needed backup. But we also can't deny without thinking it over first, and as much as I hate to say it; we need to think about money."

Natsu interjects before she could speak, "We also need to think about if he's lying to us, and we're walking into a trap."

She frowns, "Yeah, I get it. So then, what are the Pro's and Con's?"

"Pro – We get the satisfaction of helping people.

Con – Could be a trap.

Con – It could be outside of our capabilities, and we're stuck without backup.

Pro – We're getting low on money; we could get at least enough for another week without having to sleep in the wild.

Pro – Ligrac Bread."

They stop and stare at Loke, who blushes and says, "What? If we do this, he could make some bread, or at least give us the recipe."

Shaking her head, she smiles fondly and tallies up the results, "So we've got three Pro's and two Con's, are we doing this?"

The two shrug and she decides.

* * *

She startles awake when their door is banged on at the cusp of dawn, groaning she buries her face into her pillows and yells, "Who is it?", it comes out extremely muffled, but they must understand her because they answer.

"Princess. We have an emergency." At the male's words, all sleepiness leaves her, and she shoots up into a sitting position.

Rushing to get dressed, she tumbles onto the floor while trying to get her pants on, "What kind of emergency?"

He doesn't answer for a minute, but he eventually says, "That dark mage the baker was talking about? They're on their way here. But Princess? Are you alright? I heard a crash."

Now that she's suitably awake, she can recognize the voice as Saol's, and she responds as calmly as possible, "What? No, I'm fine. You said that dark mage was here?" She's still struggling on the floor, and mutters to herself, "Stupid pants, are they possessed or something?"

"Sort of, Princess, they're nearly here, but not yet. I sensed what was probably them just now. There's something that feels like dark magic, and a dozen or so other ones that feel human, but off, like they're dead but also alive." He corrects her, and another voice jumps into their conversation.

"Luce? Are you ready yet? Virgo's setting up pitfalls around the village and Lura's getting all the villagers into a bunker to be safe, but they can't do too much on their power."

"Nearly ready Natsu, I'll be out in a minute." She finally gets her pants on, and her skirt and shirt soon follow.

Opening the door, she can see Natsu, but Saol is gone. Her confusion must show on her face because Natsu tells her, "Saol's gone to set up traps in the forest after he puts enough plants in the bunker to make sure they don't die of lack of oxygen – at least for a little bit."

She smiles, letting Natsu lead the way to Virgo and Lura. She pulls out Virgo's key and calls out, "Gate of the Maiden, I open thee! Virgo!" Golden light engulfs the maid in front of her, and Lura follows suit, but hers is silver and has streaks of brown twining through it.

Doing the same for Natsu and Saol, she pulls out the key Happy had given her when they had recovered from their fight with Erza, Gray and the rune knights, Sagittarius, the Archer. She had forgotten about him up till now, but Natsu had said something about how having an archer would be nice, and she remembered Happy had stolen it from the tournament.

"Gate of the Archer, I open thee! Sagittarius!" The tell-tale bells ring through the key, and a man in a horse costume appears from the golden light. She has to try very hard not to facepalm or laugh. Natsu fails.

"How can I help you, Moshi Moshi?" She can hear Natsu losing it behind her, and she's struggling to keep a straight face when she asks, "Do you wish to make a contract with me? And if so, what days are you free?"

He rubs the area where his chin would be, and she can't keep it in anymore, collapsing to the ground, she starts laughing. Sagittarius crouches down in concern, and the proximity of his face sends her deeper into hysterics.

Once she calms down, she explains, "I have a telepathy bond with my Draconis spirits. Sometimes their antics get a bit ridiculous." She knows lying to people's faces isn't the politest thing to do, but she can't just tell him she finds him ludicrous.

"I see, Moshi Moshi. It would be an honour to have a contract with you, and I am available every day except for Thursday."

"Alright, then. Now, there's a dark mage on their way here, so I'd like you to help defend the town, Is that okay with you?" He salutes and marches off in the direction of the outskirts.

Picking up Natsu from his prone position on the ground, she lays him against a nearby column to recover and walks off to the watchtower – and the wall that was not there before – to try and get an accurate reading on how long until the dark mage arrives.

* * *

She doesn't know how long she's been meditating for, tracking the distinctive signature of the mage and their undead posse, but the sun is high in the sky and she started before sunrise, so it can't have been too long.

Standing is painful, but her muscles don't usually protest this much unless she's been in one position for far too long, which means it's the next day instead of a couple of hours later like she initially assumed.

As she walks through the town, nothing is registering on her senses, save for an animal every so often. It gives the place a haunted feeling.

She knows Loke's still summoned by the feel of the magic running through his key, and Natsu and Saol's are missing entirely, so they're probably wandering around somewhere.

The clicking of her heels against the cobblestone and the jangling of her keys are the only sounds; it sends shivers down her spine.

Thudding footsteps sound behind her, and she whirls around in time to see the stone fist heading towards her head. Ducking, she lashes her whip out, but it does no damage and just uselessly follows the curve of its waist.

Her magic flares in an emergency pattern and she summons Lura as she throws herself to the side to dodge the other fist.

The cobblestone street scrapes against her side and arm, and she hisses in pain, but it's ignorable. Lura tries to control the stone on the golem, but there are fizzing sounds and lashes slice up her arms. ' _It must be an enchantment of some sort.'_ She clicks her tongue, 'That's _annoying.'_

Magic attacks don't work on it, but it turns out restraining it does. So when Saol and Natsu arrive, they have three golems trapped in stone, and she and Lura are breathing heavily. The golems keep destroying their restraints, and they keep replacing them until their magic starts to run out. If they broke free, they'd both be dead.

Saol wraps his vines around them, and it removes some of the pressure off them. Natsu flings a flaming fist at it until it crumbles, but it takes time, enough for it to get at least one good hit in and crush them while they're dazed.

"Those golems, they were probably sent as scouts or even as a pre-emptive attack. And now that we've destroyed them, that mage is going to know there's at least someone here who is strong enough to destroy them. So they're not going to play around." Natsu speaks up from lounging against the wall, partially hidden in the shadows.

 _"We should compile what we know about them. See if we can discover a weakness."_ Amanzi's voice is grave as it rings through their heads, and she has to fight the urge to smile; she was their tactician for a reason.

Erik snorts, "Whatever, Creepy McSlaughterFace has at least half a dozen more of those things, and low-level magic doesn't work on them. So, the traps will be the only thing stopping them until these two arrive, or someone strikes them with a strong enough attack to destroy them in one hit. The ones Trigger-happy destroyed would've been immune to fire attacks if he had taken longer; they absorb magic, gain resistance, and eventually be immune. And each one has different immunities, so, we're screwed."

"You won't be able to use your Zodiac for this one Princess. I have nothing against them, in fact, I quite like them, but Loke is going to be the only one who'd be able to hit them with a strong enough attack to destroy them. Cancer's scissors would break, Virgo'd only be able to trap them in easily escapable holes. Aquarius would deal more damage to the surrounding area than to the golem, Taurus, well he might be enough, but better to save your magic than to use it on a maybe. And Loke's Regulus Impact would work, but he'd be near useless afterwards; he's still recovering from his three years here, but don't tell him I said that." She didn't like Saol's brutal analysis, but she had to admit he was right.

"And," He cuts in before she could say anything, "I hate to say it, but you, Lura and I work better with long-range and defence, Amanzi's an all-rounder and as a result, is an average attacker. And Cobra's poison wouldn't work on them, so Natsu and Aurinko are the only people who'd be able to take them out, along with Loke."

Rin declares, "Ma'am, I will defeat the golems to the best of my ability if you wish it so." She has her back ramrod straight, and Lucy has to stifle a wince because that looks like it hurts.


	23. Golems and Totems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I explain and apologize; those who won't read this note, there are very heavy discussions about Dissacociation, and a brief section about alcoholisation, so everyone who is affected by this, there is a summary about what happened in the endnotes.
> 
> I'm SO SORRY about the unexpected hiatus! I always feel a little bit peeved when authors don't update for weeks on end, sometimes months, without so much as a by your leave, but now that I've done it... I understand why it happens. 
> 
> So, for those interested, my place is undergoing renovations, and someone misplaced my laptop, with all my work on it, so I couldn't even post an unedited version from my phone. And, I haven't been feeling well, having gone on a new medication that's completely changed my sleep cycle.
> 
> But these are all excuses, so by the time this chapter comes out, I will have finished touching up and editing the missing three chapters, as well as an extra as an apology for the wait, and you guys can expect the chapter on Sunday to come out on time as well. So, five chapters this week! 
> 
> I'm looking forward to seeing what you think!

The walls were breaking – shattered pieces of earth and wood flying everywhere.

She ducks a shard of wood, and it pierces the stone wall behind her. Lura had enhanced the wood to be able to withstand a lot of force, and now it was backfiring on them.

Flipping out of the way of a fist, she heaves her whip through the air and flicks it around its chest, tying it to the shard. She can vaguely see trails of destruction out of the corners of her eyes. Natsu was wreaking havoc to her left, and Rin to her right.

Initially, she had thought they would be similar due to their magic, but then she saw Rin fight. Yes, they were both close-combat fighters, but they couldn't be more different. At first, Rin's whole body starts glowing white, bright enough to blind if you weren't looking away; next, the glow condenses to her fists and feet.

Then, she whips her hands and feet through the air, massacring everything before her, and looking loosely like a white tornado; blink and you miss it fast, with enough power to obliterate everything.

And afterwards? There was nothing left, not even rubble. Radiation is what she called it.

Natsu, on the other hand, was more like a hurricane; more damage over a widespread area for a longer time.

Leaving the golem to struggle, she attached a flare to it and ran away. That was her and Saol's job; Trap and Tag. They had figured out that if she added more magic to her whip, it could overcome the enchantments, at the cost of her being able to wield it easily.

Erik and Lura were defending the bunker, while Amanzi was on support, being the only one who could heal.

Explosions sounded from her right, and she turned to see one, two, three, of the flares, going out. She smiled to herself and shook her head as she turned down an alley, at the end of it was supposed to be one of the safe points Lura had set up. They were a smaller version of the bunkers they could rest in without any danger.

But what was supposed to be a small alley the golems couldn't fit through, ended up being blown to smithereens, and two golems stood ahead of her. She spun around, trying to escape through the way she came in, but another had followed her in.

They had trapped her; a narrow alley surrounding her, two enemies ahead and one behind.

A brusque voice sounded from where the two golems stood, "Ah, so you are the one who has summoned the _things_ that are destroying my friends here." She did not appreciate the way he called her spirits _things_.

The dark mage considers something for a moment, "You would be a very nice addition to my collection, grab her." Panicking, she raced through her options, Zivel wouldn't work; her spirits would go back to the spirit world, and she didn't have a good enough hold on Dvasia. Summoning one of her Zodiac wouldn't work; they wouldn't be strong enough, and she was very low on magic. Her whip might, but it would free the golem she had trapped, and it wouldn't help much anyway, and her shield was useless right now. So it left her with telepathy, which would only serve to agitate the others while Lura travelled underground; they would be able to feel the earth spirits' stress.

 _"Lura, I need a little bit of help, there are three golems and the dark mage surrounding me, so I'd appreciate escaping. Lura?"_ Only static answered her, which was weird because they hadn't wholly blocked her off from them.

The cloaked wizard laughed, low and mocking, and it drew her attention back to him, "Did you think I'd let you go that easily, dear? You'd be surprised to know how many dark mages escape with a little bit of telepathy magic, and light mages seem fond of it, so I made a telepathy block. Wasn't all that hard, and everybody wanted one because it doesn't work on the user! Isn't it brilliant?" He continued to boast, even as his golems hefted her over its shoulder and took paths that completely bypassed where Natsu and Rin were fighting.

Shadows clouded her vision, but she couldn't sleep, she had to find out where they were taking her. Biting the inside of her cheek did the trick. But it worked only for a few more minutes before the spell took her consciousness.

* * *

Waking to a cold, hard bed was not her favourite pastime, but her mind seemed to think it was the best thing ever and wanted to do it again. She opened her eyes a little, only enough to observe the room without it being obvious she was awake.

She closed them again when an acid green ceiling with bright purple polka dots greeted her. Her captors either had a very terrible sense of fashion or, they were trying to drive her insane when the four walls surrounding her also had eye-searing colours and patterns covering them. Thankfully, the floor was white, but it was also reflective, which meant every time she looked down, she received a nauseating kaleidoscope of the insanity that surrounded her.

Keeping her eyes closed was obviously the best strategy for surviving this nonsense.

Time stretched on, but eventually, a man with a visor covering his eyes walked in with a tray of food. Almost immediately, her stomach growled, loudly.

The man threw his head back and laughed, high and maniacal. "Lucky for you I was heading back from a job, Blondie. Could've been real nasty if he'd kidnapped a weakling like you." The totems flying around his head chanted 'Weakling, weakling'.

Glaring at the floor, she bit back the reflexive insult and accepted the food. It would be rude not to be grateful, and she couldn't be anything less than the perfect picture of grace and poise. Her father made sure of that.

Subtly dropping her hand down to her side, and brushing only against the fabric of her skirt, she panicked. They had sealed her magic, her keys were gone, and they were trying to drive her insane with the design schemes. There was only one conclusion she could come to; someone had kidnapped her. Again.

Oh, f-

Her captor must've seen the panic in her eyes because he laughed again, still sounding a tad insane. He swept his arm behind his back, folding into a bow a circus performer would be proud of, and with a flourish, her keys fell out of the collar of his shirt, tied to a conventional piece of twine.

He straightened again while reaching up to untie the knot around his neck, and as soon as they were back in her hands, she sent him the most vicious glare she could manage; he had called her a weakling, but she'd make him eat his words.

Secured back on her belt, her spirit's voices assaulted her; overlapping each other like a stack of Jenga. Her headache was building fast, and now the maybe-kidnapper? Was talking to her too.

The voices slowly merged into static, consuming everything until there was nothing except -

Except what?

She couldn't see _hear **taste touch**_ anything, nothing but the all-consuming static. Maybe she was the static? She didn't know, she doesn't remember anything else, but that was okay, the static was safe.

Wasn't it?

* * *

Blondie collapsed, her face smacking straight into the reflective white floor. He didn't bother to catch her, and why would he? She had passed out in the middle of their conversation, not to mention, she had also zoned out for quite a few minutes before collapsing, which, was rude as all hell.

And! After all the effort he put into helping her no less!

But if he hadn't, and someone found out he was in the area… No, that wasn't allowed to happen, Freed would be breathing down his neck watching for the next time he caused his 'Laxus-sama's reputation to drop. And Ever wouldn't let it go either, the bitch. She'd hold it so high over his head he'd be looking straight up her skirt.

He'd even let her stay at his place, fed her and gave her medical attention. But, she had passed out after she grabbed her keys, so maybe they had been cursed?

God, he needed a drink. But fifteen worked too; unconsciousness sounded great.

* * *

_"Oh. Oh dear, Princess is unconscious again."_ They were all sitting in a loose circle, eyes closed as they tried to get rid of the ringing in their ears.

Cobra scoffed, "I didn't want to say it, but I told you so." He quickly leaned away from the flying hand coming from his left.

"Going by the size of the grin on your face, that's bullshit." Natsu snarked, earning a whistle from Saol from his place across from him.

"Why does Ma'am keep getting herself into these kinds of situations?" There's soft smacking sounds as Amanzi pats Aurinko on the back while she drops her face into her hands.

Saol only throws his head back and laughs, "I keep forgetting you haven't bonded with the Princess, so you aren't completely immune to her shenanigans yet, even if they aren't intentional. Eventually, you'll learn to roll with the punches."

She groans further into her hands, and Amanzi chuckles, " _Well, it was kind of our fault she collapsed, we did talk to her all at once, and waking up to those_ designs _didn't help. So we probably deserved the ringing in our ears."_ Like being reminded of the high-pitched ringing, they all winced, as if the tone had gotten higher or louder.

"Amanzi, what do you mean by ringing? If your ears were damaged, shouldn't they've been fixed by now?" Any damage sustained in the human realm usually had already healed, but if the others were complaining about ringing, the damage was more severe than she'd thought.

She was bought out of her musing when Saol spoke up again. "Ah, no, not exactly, the ringing is our bond with Lucy, she resonates with our magic and subconsciously sends signals to us; the higher and louder the tone, the more distressed she is. It disappears when we exit the spirit world, so it doesn't interfere when we try and calm her down."

She nods at his explanation, but something bothers her, "If she is in distress, why are we not going to her?"

He smiles sadly and jerks his head for her to follow him, and he leads her to a room with a flat, circular pool. The water was clear enough for it to look like it wasn't there, and with how still it was, she had initially thought it was empty. His finger taps the surface, sending concentric rings to bounce off the shifting edges.

Unlike with regular water, the rings kept forming and eventually they bounced off each other, creating a picture. From the original point where Saol had tapped, green energy was pushed with the rings, covering the ever-shifting pool. The covering faded and brightened, making a clear picture of their summoner.

Lucy had her arms wrapped around her legs, rocking back and forth on the slab of rock the mage with the helmet had said was a bed. The Life Draconis tapped the water again, and the picture distorted for a moment before all of it became static. He sighed, "This is her consciousness for the moment, we had Crux look up what she was experiencing, he called it 'Disassociating'. It means that whatever we do, say, or make her feel will not register, leaving her free of pain, but also of people who can help battle her thoughts with her."

Sweeping a hand over the surface cleared the image and set the pool back to its smooth, clean state. She needed time to process this, and Saol understood, he was much the same when he witnessed her first episode.

For _hours_ he had sat by her side, coaxing her from the depths of her mind. It had had to be less than an hour, but it was the awfullest thing he'd ever had the pleasure of experiencing; no sound, nor movement or recognition. The next few hadn't been quite as bad; she shifted in her sleep – and occasionally while she was awake – and there was a small light in her eyes.

The rest of the day, and the hours beyond, were much better; she ate small amounts of food and water – nothing heavy or strong, but it was much better. Occasionally, she would speak a word or two, and he was allowed to initiate touch – only small things, like laying a hand over hers or playing with her hair, but he was infinitely grateful.

And the next day – whether that be in the early hours of the morning, or the late afternoon after waking – she'd be nearly back to normal. She would jump at sudden movements or contact, and flinch at loud noises, but that faded with time.

She hadn't told him why they happened, only what set her off that day, but he couldn't remember anymore, only his helplessness.

Now though, he knew what had set her off; a combination of the rush of voices, drowning out her thoughts, having her magic sealed, missing her keys, and the awful collection of designs and colours surrounding her. He didn't quite get why the last one was the included, but she had once explained – quite a while ago now – that it made her feel at home. And given the way she spat the word, that was a bad thing.

* * *

When she came back to herself, the green and purple ceiling greeted her again, and she groaned, instinctively reaching for her keys, making Saol appear in a burst of gold and green light.

She blinked, she hadn't meant to do that, only wanting reassurance that they were there with her and she wasn't back _home_ again.

Her magic pulsed like it had before she had blocked Lullaby's beam; eager to please and ready to attack.

She brought her keys up to her face, studying them for anything that'd changed, but not spotting anything. A prickling sensation crawled up her spine, settling at the base of her neck, and she turned to meet the gaze of Saol, who should've disappeared by now, if the runes she could see surrounding the room were any indication.

* * *

He had seen the seals himself, so why was he here?

Here, with the acid green with purple polka dot ceiling, and that one orange and blue wall. Here, where his summoner was, in Earthland.

Only one word escaped from him, "How?"

Smiling, she shrugs, wrenching her gaze away from his eyes to just over his shoulder, "Don't know, but I can't feel the weight of the seals anymore."

And how was that possible? Even he could feel them pressing down on him, but there was no force around her. He could see the rest of the room, glowing a faint purple, illuminated by Runes.

Imperceptable normally, but the area around her was clear, the difference startingly noticable, covering her like a shroud of glass.

Moving closer, he feels the weight decreasing, steadily lifting from his frame until he's sitting next to her on the bed, and then there's nothing to feel.

Now that he's next to her, he can see the faint silver designs they all had now crawling up her arms. A defence mechanism then.

It was probably subconscious, but he was thankful anyways.

Looking up, he noticed she was observing him, _staring_ at _him_ , and not the wall behind.

The door opened, bringing her captor into the room. He gaped, and squawked, "Bu-but how? I had Freed specifically ward this room with the stongest runes he could manage. They're supposed to smother everything even remotely connected to magic!"

His limbs were flailing, and the only thing he could see was Loke's reaction when he met the rest of his siblings by circumstance, overlaying the headless-chicken dance in front of him.

And suddenly, he couldn't breathe, couldn't stop laughing. Every time he calmed down, he'd look up again, and it'd send him back into hysterics. Eventually, Cobra got sick of his cackling and rudely asked him, " _What in the hell is so funny?"_ He wouldn't be able to answer even if he wanted to, so, wrestling with the little control he had, his memories flooded his sibling's minds.

There was a moment of silence, but finally, Natsu's resolve crumbled, and he snorted, setting off a chain reaction. None of them had the self-control to stop the thoughts from overflowing; so someone would remember, and everyone would see it, and it would start all over again.

Lucy was in the same situation as him; rolling on the floor and curled up as tears streamed from their eyes, breaths coming in sharp gasps.

When they had stopped, at last, the very purple man was staring at them with a confused look on his face? He assumed it was on his face – it was hidden by the visor – but it was very prominent in his aura, so he supposed he was cheating a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT! By no means am I a medical professional, nor a licensed therapist, so if anything is completely impossible, or implausible, please let me know!
> 
> Summary;  
> Lucy defends herself from golems intent of crushing her, unable to use her magic unless it was a one-shot-kill or to restrain them for Aurinko and Natsu to destroy later. The Golems absorb small amounts of magic from consecutive attacks, eventually building up an immunity.
> 
> Aurinko and Natsu, plow through the hoard and she likens them to hurricanes and tornados respectively.  
> (Tornados don't last very long, but spread devastation, while hurricanes weren't as powerful at first, but end up outputting more damage in a larger area)
> 
> She ends up being cornered in a narrow alleyway with no backup and her telepathy blocked by three golems and their creator/master, and knocked unconscious, is kidnapped.
> 
> Bixlow is passing by and rescues her. When he gives her keys back, they overwhelm her and she passes out, dissociating. 
> 
> Having returned to the spirit world, the Draconis discuss Lucy's attack, and Saol reflects on the first time she'd had one in front of him.
> 
> Lucy comes out of it, and accidentally summons Saol, completely disregarding the Runes covering the room that suppress anything magical. Bixlow comes in and sees him, and starts flailing, reminding them both of Loke's headless-chicken dance, and sending them into hysterics.
> 
> Erik eventually gets fed up with the cackling bouncing around the bond, and when he askes why, Saol sends him his memories, which leak to the others, and starts a feedback loop.


	24. Memories Bounty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2nd chapter today! Make sure you read the previous one!
> 
> WARNING; Physical and Mental Abuse, Dissacosiccaion, and Racial Discrimination.
> 
> Again, a summary will be at the end of the chapter for those who are uncomfortable with these topics.
> 
> I am not sorry Jude.

Once they had gotten past Bixlow's semi-insane exterior, he had been a surprisingly fun guy to be around. His place had a training room the size of the tournament arena, with everything she could've possibly thought of included. A gymnastics circuit, weights, and a flight course was only the start. She hadn't taken in the whole room before they moved on with his tour, but she remembers she had rushed back to the room with all the enthusiasm of a rabid animal once he'd finished.

His place was just on the outskirts of the rural area of Clover, so it would take a couple more hours for them to arrive in the town once they left. Bixlow had met all her gold and platinum spirits at one point or another during their week stay, and surprisingly, it was Amanzi who had gotten on with him the best. After her, it was Cancer, who had fallen in love with his eccentricities.

As Saol declared it was time to leave, she could tell he didn't really want to, but they had no choice; it was dangerous for them to stay in one place for too long. And eventually, the Council would've found out, and she didn't want to put her newfound friend in that position.

The moment Saol decided they were far from prying ears and eyes, he stopped and turned around to look at her. She looked at the ground, she knew what the conversation was going to be about, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

"Princess-" He paused, "When you woke up-" He stopped again, trying to find the words, "You had another attack." His bluntness made her look up from the dirt.

"Yes, I know it was bad. Worse than any of the others." She knew what had caused it, knew she had to tell someone, even if it was only them.

She sighed, "When I was 10, my mother died from Magic Deficiency Syndrome. Before she died, she opened the Eclipse gate, which allowed someone to bring something from the past using the 12 Zodiac Keys. She told me it was the Heartfilia line's duty, and it would bring five children who would one day save the world.

When she opened the gate, she didn't have all twelve keys, so she replaced the missing key's magic with her own. Usually, it wouldn't be a problem, but because she had MDS, the loss in magic killed her.

After she died, my father changed; I didn't see him at all, except for when he summoned me to his office, to discuss _marriage_. He treated me like a tool for furthering his empire like I was something to be sold away.

On one particular occasion, I think I was 12? He was incredibly persistent, and I was furious. That was the first time he hit me." She was shaking, speaking it out loud made it easier in some ways, but so much harder in others.

Saol was also shaking, body trembling in a facsimile of her own. Lucy could see it in his clenched hands, screwed so tight she could see the outlines of his bones. In the blood that dripped from in between his fingers, pooling in the dirt beside him. In the shadows of the trees, where the plants writhed with his rage. He was livid.

"That first time was not the last. _Father_ found that if he disfigured me, his pain lessened; I looked near identical to my mother, and if I had bruises, he couldn't see the resemblance.

When I was 16, It had been about 19 months since he locked me in my room? The only people who saw me were the maids; they brought me food, got me dressed, and made sure I stayed healthy. _Father_ didn't want an unattractive daughter, after all. It was the same reason he didn't leave lasting marks. It was probably the only reason.

One of the maids – who my mother had given Taurus' key to while she was dying – helped me escape. She and the other maids distracted my father while they took me and a bag to the outskirts of the Konzern, where they had stored food, water, and other supplies over the years.

I started Dissociating a few weeks after I left. But I didn't have attacks until about six months afterwards; while I was working at a restaurant to get money – and steal some of the leftover food. The restaurant was hosting a ball of some sort, and they didn't allow me to take my keys because they found mages' unsightly'.

The event reminded me of when my father would invite possible suitors to try my hand for marriage, and when I went to brush my hand over my keys, and they weren't there, I panicked. Hours later, I came back to myself in an alley just behind the restaurant, with torn clothing, blood running down my arms and legs, and smelling like I had swum in a garbage dump. Considering I was sitting in a trash can, I probably had."

They had both sat down at some point during her story, and the other Draconis had summoned themselves – they were both too caught up in their emotions to notice. Erik was holding her to his chest, and she was on Natsu's lap, Saol had made the seats they were on and was constructing a temporary base for the night. Amanzi and Lura were hugging her from the side, and Rin was stroking her hair.

As she sobbed and trembled in their arms, she knew, they would always be there for her.

* * *

It turned out Clover was a pretty nice place, but the people in it weren't. They had been kicked out of restaurants, hotels, and shops, only because they looked and sounded different. Even if only slightly.

She had known that even though Fiore wasn't a large place, the distances from the bigger towns and cities made it so the people who were born and raised there, had marginally different features. And because they weren't from Clover, and they didn't identify themselves from any of the guilds, they scorned them.

So they had left, and headed to where they had set up their base, four hours away from Clover and two from the Akane Resort. The forest they set up in was infamous for being dense, so unless they had someone like Saol, who could sense energy signatures and control plants, it would be nearly impossible to find them.

He had built their place right in the centre, a massive construction of houses and walkways high up in the trees. Lucy loved it; it made her feel safe.

Natsu waved from one of the balcony's as he yelled excitedly, "We're all done; everything's finished!" His voice penetrated her eardrums painfully, but she withheld a wince; she'd only make everyone worry again.

Smiling, she shakes her head, fondly, "Okay Natsu, but you don't have to yell so loud, I can hear you just fine! And would you send Erik down? I want to have a little chat with him!" She's sure he can see her in detail, but she exaggerates her gestures anyways.

Erik makes his appearance from inside one of the trees to her left, and she waits until he's next to her before walking into the woods and says, "Follow me, I'd like to talk in private. The others aren't doing a great job of being inconspicuous." She can hear a snort and someone talking in an affronted tone, but she's too far away to make it out, although she suspects Erik listened to the comment, going by the bark of laughter he let out.

The area Saol had cleared out was left behind them as they travelled further into the dense jungle of roots, branches, and thick trunks. Lucy could tell her pseudo-uncle was getting uncomfortable with the enclosed space; he wouldn't be able to fight very well with so many things blocking his sight and attacks.

Turning around once they're far enough away, her cheerful mask slips off, leaving a grim expression on her face. "You know why Natsu lost his memories, don't you?"

* * *

Gray was wandering through the guildhall aimlessly. Erza had taken an S-Class quest, the Council had driven Lucy and subsequently Natsu and Loke off months ago, and Cana was in a nearly unconscious drunken haze, even Happy was with Levy and her two minions. So, he had no one to do a mission with.

And, there had been no brawls for the last two hours. Therefore, Gray was bored.

Eventually, he made his way over to the mission board. He didn't need to worry about the payment; he had paid his rent a few weeks ago, but he desperately wanted something to quench his boredom.

There was a small request hiding behind three or four others, obviously having been there a while. It was plain white with no additional details, and it asked for someone to demolish a building, without any damage to the surrounding area.

(The part where it asked for no damage to other buildings was heavily underlined but had a tone of resignation. They _were_ posting to Fairy Tail after all.)

Taking it up to Mirajane to register was the simple part. Getting there? Not so much. By the end of his trip, he had taken four different trains and had sat in a cabin with no one to talk to for 27 hours.

Reasonably, he was in a bad mood when he arrived. And he was in no way ready to deal with the mob of fans that had accumulated in the time between getting off the train and exiting the station. He had forgotten that the citizens of Magnolia were used to their presence, and the only ones who came up to them were either tourists or people who actually needed help.

So, he thought making a barrier of ice between him, and the mob of fans were completely understandable. The rune knight on duty didn't share his opinion.

* * *

Virgo had a job to do. It was an easy job; infiltrate Clover and look for information on the Council, Lucy, or Fairy Tail. But she couldn't be careless, Amanzi had briefed her when she appeared; Lucy was nowhere in sight.

Clover wasn't far from their base, only hours away, so she took care not to give any clues as to where they were. Amanzi had told her about the difference between the attitudes of the residents. But she had yet to see it herself.

So she did a test. She transformed into a nondescript traveller and stumbled her way past the border. They rejected her, harshly. But walking into the town with a Guild Mark on her arm, drastically changed the citizens' attitude.

Something to her left caught her eye, a poster flapping in the wind, just barely holding onto the wall. She narrowed her gaze, zeroing in on the innocent looking poster. Except it wasn't, the paper and every other posted onto every wall in sight had her summoner on it;

**Wanted;**

Lucy Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel, previously of Fairy Tail,  
are wanted for:  
237 Cases of Mass Destruction of Council Property and Historical Landmarks,  
486 Cases of Destruction of Private Property,  
43 Cases of Civilian Endangerment,  
And,  
14 Cases of Manslaughter.

 _Reward;_  
_200,000,000,0 Jewel_  
_2 Billion Jewel_  
($20 Million)

_Wanted Alive._

It made her livid just looking at it. Her friend, her summoner, who had saved the Council's hides twice now, was on a wanted poster. As if it wasn't enough, they made her fight her guildmates.

Ripping it off the wall, she stalked over to the city centre, to the information building, where she knew they had a representative station. She threw the doors open, catching the attention of everyone inside, stormed up to the front desk, slapped her hand on the polished wood and shouted, "What!? The Hell!? Is this!?"

The person sitting at the counter stared blankly at her, shocked into silence. She gestured wildly, carefully maintaining a vicious look on her face and shouted again, " _Why?_ Has the kindest, most thoughtful person in Fairy Tail got a bounty on her head!? When I am 100 percent sure she has done nothing of the sort!"

They still stared blankly at her, so she slammed the poster onto the desk, and a flash of recognition passed through their eyes before their face shifted to casual arrogance. "Oh. You're talking about that. Yeah, they deserved it, the pack of reckless fools. Finally done something bad enough the Council disbanded them, thank God." They looked up from the poster, but her Guild Mark caught their eye, and they rapidly paled, having realised their mistake.

She grabbed the front of their Council-issue shirt and hauled them out of their seat, so their face was level with hers. She didn't say anything, but she didn't need to, the representative had passed out from fear. But she didn't let it stop her as she dragged them through the doors and into an alley a few blocks down.

Using Diver, she made a pit underneath them, deep enough they wouldn't get out for a few hours at least, and left. She wandered the town until dark, before heading back inside the forest. Smirking to herself, she murmured, "Princess will have to hold them back from destroying Clover or the Council, maybe even both." She giggled and unsummoned herself, waiting for Lucy to ask what she had learned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary;  
> Saol and Lucy talk as they travel to Clover, and Lucy tells him, and the others when they appear halfway through her telling them her childhood.
> 
> Jude hated the way Lucy looked so much like Layla, so he left raising her to the maids, and paraded her around like a trophy to be bought. He discovered that if she had bruises, he didn't hurt as much.
> 
> Even though Fiore isn't a big place, the distance between the towns discouraged civilians to travel, except if they were merchants, so they tended to stay where they'd grown up, leading to slight differences in the bone structure and accent of each. Clover is especially harsh to those who don't belong, and kick Lucy and her entourage out of hotels, shops, restaurants, etc.
> 
> Because of the discrimination they leave, and make a base in the dense forest near Akane Resort. Erik and Lucy split off once the construction of houses far up in the trees had been completed, and Lucy confronts him about having information about why Natsu lost his memories.
> 
> Gray takes a mission to demolish an old building without damage to the surrounding area, but it ends up taking just over 27 hours to get there, leaving him cranky and irritable. In Magnolia, the citizens are used to their presence, so they don't tend to bother them unless they needed help, or were tourists, so he gets mobbed as soon as he steps off the train. He makes an ice wall to separate them, but the Rune Knight on duty doesn't approve and tries to arrest him.
> 
> Virgo infiltrates Clover in search of information, and finds a wanted poster for Lucy and Natsu, detailing their crimes; 237 cases of Mass Destruction of Council Property and Historical Landmarks, 486 cases of Destruction of Private Property, 43 Cases of Civilian Endangerment, and 14 cases of Manslaughter, As well as a reward for 2 Billion Jewel, or $20 million.
> 
> In a rage, she storms the council branch and sticks the passed-out attendant in a hole for the night, deep enough he wouldn't be able to get out in a hurry.


	25. Cruelty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3rd Chapter! Go back and read the previous ones if you haven't already!
> 
> Mentions of Animal Cruelty and Racial Discrimination.

_Turning around once they're far enough away, her cheerful mask slips off, leaving a grim expression on her face. "You know why Natsu lost his memories, don't you?"_

Erik tensed, and he shifted his eyes away, looking for escape routes, before he relaxed, accepting defeat. He sighed, "Yes. Well, I have my suspicions, but nothing concrete."

Lucy raised her eyebrow, "So? What are they?" She shifted onto one foot and put her hand on her hip.

"I think that when your mother opened the eclipse gate, Natsu was one of the children who went through. While he didn't have any memories of us, he thought a dragon had raised him, and he learned his Dragon Slayer magic from it. 

Around the time he disappeared 400 years ago, we felt a disturbance in the Time-Space, which is what makes Celestial Spirit Magic possible, and the three months to a day time difference. I don't think the Zodiac felt it; it was too subtle to affect them, but it was still powerful enough to disrupt our connection to Earthland.

Four others didn't come back; I can't tell you who, but they went missing about the same time as Natsu did, haven't been around since."

She stared at him, blankly as she processed the information. "Okay, that, makes sense." She sat down on a root, "Do you think he'll ever get them back?"

He shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?"

"Are you allo-" She cut herself off, feeling her connection with Virgo untether itself. "Virgo has information, do you want to continue or do this another time?"

Standing, he brushed off the dirt on his coat before saying, "Nah, Virgo's information's more important than my conspiracy theories."

They followed the path they had made back, walking in comfortable silence. Rin was waiting for them at the base of a tree before she led them up to the canopy.

"Gate of the Maiden, I open thee! Virgo!" There was something different about the way the spirit held herself and her core. She couldn't identify it entirely, but the closest she could get was a vindictive pleasure. 

When the pink-haired spirit spoke, the cruel glint in her eye sent shivers down her spine. "Princess. I have some information you might want everyone here for."

Virgo only spoke again when all her Draconis had gathered on the highest platform. "You, and Natsu, have a bounty." The simple words drove them all into a frenzy. She was sure that if she had let them, they would've stormed the council building right then and there.

Natsu had already dropped to all fours, snarling as he wound himself around her legs, forcing her to one of the wooden seats. Her other Draconis didn't look far behind as they hunched in on themselves and their lips curled. Rin looked to be the only one apart from Virgo who was able to think through the haze of instincts.

"I wasn't able to get any information out of the representative; he had passed out at the sight of the Fairy Tail Guild Mark on my arm after he had gone on a rant about how Fairy Tail deserved to disband. Never mind how we had saved them from Lullaby," Natsu growled at her words, lucid enough to recognize his Guildmates had been insulted.

The silence stretched on as they came to terms with the information, but it was interrupted by a low rumbling sound. She looked around for the source, but her eyes snapped to Erik when he snickered. Raising her eyebrow did nothing but make him laugh, and she flushed when the others joined in. Amanzi eventually took pity on her and gestured to her lap, where Natsu had curled up in a ball. 

It looked to be a very uncomfortable position, but she had long since learned that everything related to her spirits didn't quite follow standard logic. Her face went bright red when she realized the rumbling was coming from the body on her lap, but that wasn't what was making them laugh; she had been running her fingers down the curve of Natsu's spine unconsciously, trying to get him to relax.

Her mortification spread to every inch of her body, turning her into a blond tomato. But as much as she wanted to escape; moving would upset the pink-haired man. "I would do this to anyone of you if you needed it." She hissed, and some of them looked to be considering the idea.

She resigned herself to petting at least three of them.

* * *

Happy was miserable; his partner was a fugitive, as was Lucy, Erza was working herself to the bone, and Gray was listlessly doing job after job to rid himself of the guilt. He had tried to be cheerful and not let the atmosphere affect him, but it wasn't working.

Levy had invited him to do a job with them after she had found him in the library, hours after he'd cried himself to sleep.

It wasn't a hard job, merely defeating a couple of C-Class Beasts who had been raiding a couple of nearby towns. They had it done in hours; Levy found them with a tracking spell, Jet confused them with his speed and Droy trapped them in his plants. There was no property damage, no extra complications and no complaints; they had even gotten a small bonus out of it. 

He could see why Lucy had gone on and on about her rent; by the time their team had finished, there would be almost nothing left after paying for the property damage. The thought of Lucy reminded him he was left alone, and he curled up in Levy's lap, trying to hold back his distress.

Natsu had told him not to follow them, and he knew why, but knowing didn't stop the hurt building in his chest. He had said while holding him tightly, "Happy, look, I'm sorry, but you can't come with us. You know the Council would take any opportunity to experiment on you, and I can't let that happen. So you need to go back to the Guild and stay there until we're pardoned. Okay?" 

And he was right; the Council would take any opportunity. They wanted to study him, and if that meant experimentation, they would do it. He was the only animal in Fiore who had intelligence, could use magic and speak, and they wanted to find out how so they could apply it to their army. 

Being in Fairy Tail had protected him; the Council couldn't interfere with Guild business, but as soon as he lost that protection by helping Lucy and Natsu, they would come after him and not let him go.

* * *

Virgo had long since decided that the citizens of Clover were annoying. They were two-faced and wouldn't give her the information she needed. Not since she had made that Council representative pass out. 

They were giving her a wide berth as she travelled through the market, picking up supplies they wouldn't be able to grow or make. A commotion to her right caught her attention; people were jeering at someone. Narrowing her eyes, she made her way over to the mob of people throwing insults at a brown-haired girl with a blue bird hovering by her shoulder.

A blue Fairy Tail mark outlined in black drew her attention to the girl's thigh. She was holding her head high, seemingly not bothered by the insults and offending comments the residents were yelling.

The bird spotted her from and flew in her direction, the girl following. The people of Clover scattered when they caught sight of her, whispering in hushed tones as they went back to their shopping.

When they stood face to face with each other, she noted the bruises and marks on the girl's form. Suddenly speaking up, stopped her observations, "Mickey Chickentiger, at your service." She swept herself into a bow with a flourish, her confident tone slightly muted by the strain in her words.

She knew she wasn't the most sympathetic person, but she still slightly regretted her words, "Why are you injured? Did they do that to you?"

Mickey shrunk in on herself and lowered her gaze to the floor. Without her boisterous attitude and body language, she looked much younger than she had initially appeared. "Yeah, they did. My team accidentally destroyed some of their crops, and I just came from reporting to the client. Word gets around fast."

"Did your team abandon you to report to the client?" At her question, Mickey's gaze shot up from the floor, and her hands flew into a flurry of motion.

"No no no, I told them to stay behind because I knew this would happen, and it's my responsibility as the team leader." Virgo frowned before turning back into the forest.

"Stay here; there's someone who'd want to meet you. And send your team back to the Guild, no need to keep them waiting." She disappeared into the shadows of the trees, leaving Mickey behind her.

* * *

It was so cold; she shivered as the rain splashed against her naked back. She ran through the darkness, instincts guiding her. She needed to get away, away from the people chasing her, away from the pain. Her vision was blurred, but the way was clear, trees lighting up in blue as she approached.

Her temporary partner stumbled his way behind her, tripping over roots as he followed her path. There were lights up ahead, and people milling around, but they didn't look right, the usual incandescent green faded and pale. There were two bright green shapes, backed up against the wall by four darker greens, dark mages. The two were small; one was a child, the other; like them.

She slowed and gestured at the two to her partner, silently asking his opinion. He shook his head, and they took off again, leaving them behind.

* * *

Mickey was confused. At first, her day was typical, she woke up, took a job with her team, did a little property damage, and went to report to the client. That's where it got weird. The citizens of Clover were much more unforgiving than other towns, throwing rocks, insults and rotten fruit, among other things, as she made her way through town. Then Pii-chan spotted someone with pink hair and led her over to her. 

The pink-haired woman took stock of her injuries, saw her Guild Mark, and frowned. She thought she might've been someone with a grudge, but she only asked if the residents made her wounds. After getting her answer, she told her to stay put and ask her teammates to head back to the Guild without her, and then left. 

She did stay, but she didn't tell her teammates to go back; she didn't trust her enough to wait without backup. Eventually, she came back and led her into the forest, expertly dodging trees, branches, and roots. They stopped after a while; she guessed maybe an hour into the woods. There were two figures in a small clearing ahead of her, one blond, and another with pink hair perched on a branch by her shoulder, looking like a guardian angel. But guardian dragon may be more appropriate.

As she got closer, she recognized the pink-haired male as Natsu Dragneel, the guildmate who had the Council after him for a little property damage. The blond one was a stranger to her, but she could see the Guild Mark on her hand.

Which meant she was Lucy Heartfilia, the newbie Celestial Spirit mage who was strong enough to go toe to toe with Natsu. She had nowhere enough skill to face the two together, so she approached the duo carefully, telegraphing every movement.

They studied her and Pii-chan for a bit, before looking at each other, simultaneously coming to a decision. Lucy spoke up first, "We won't hurt you." As if that wasn't ominous, "We just want information on how the Guild's doing." She could hear the threat behind the statement, 'Don't give us a reason to attack, and we won't.'

With the remainder of the Guild, she remembered what Master Makarov had told them a couple of days after the bounty had gone out; "If you come across Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, or Loke of the Zodiac. Please give them the extra emergency lacrima you have in your packs and tell them, that we do not blame them; the Council is at fault. And when the Council realizes this, they are welcome to come back."

When she finished repeating the Master's message, the pink-haired woman disappeared in a shower of golden sparks, and Lucy had moved forward to take the lacrima from her hand. She stopped just before her, out of reach.

Lucy didn't seem willing to come any further, so she took a step forward, extending her arm to offer the lacrima.

She didn't quite flinch, but it was a near thing, Mickey could see it in her eyes; she wanted to trust her, but she had been betrayed by those she thought of as friends. Eventually, her need to believe people won out, and she took the lacrima. It glowed a bright silver, and Master Makarov's face appeared.

"Master!" Lucy's face lit up in joy and Natsu leapt over from his perch on a nearby branch, landing in a crouch beside the blond.

Tears streamed from the tiny man's eyes, and he was blubbering words that may have been the two's names, but it came out too garbled to make sense. Static distorted the Guild Master's image, warping his words further until it was only an unintelligible noise. The static got louder until eventually, it cut out, leaving the three in silence.

They stared at each other for a while before she tried to break the ice, "Erza's asking for permission to do an S-Class job with Gray?" She offered. Her attempt fell flat when the two flinched, and she tried again, "Uh, your blue cat went on a job with Team Shadowgear?" They perked up at her words, interested in how Happy and everybody else was dealing with their absence.

Mickey carefully didn't mention the mood of their guildmates while they talked, she didn't want them to feel guilty.

* * *

Natsu was unashamedly staring at the newcomer Virgo had brought them. He was interested in her blatant fear as she approached the clearing. She wouldn't be able to see them, high up in the canopy as they were, but both of them could see and smell her nervousness.

Lucy cuffed the back of his head, making him fall forward onto a branch below. She had a mischievous smile on her face as she leapt away from him, initiating a game they had made since they had settled, Tree Fall. The aim was to hit the opponent hard enough they fall onto the ground in one shot. If someone hit you, and you didn't touch the ground, it was your turn to go on the attack. If you did touch the ground, the person who made you fall would be able to get you to do one thing.

Saol was the undisputed winner every time they played. But for now, it was just the two of them. So he shot after her and stopped in front of her, pushing her off the branch. 

The game continued until the guildmate Virgo had brought reached the clearing, and he stopped on a low hanging branch on the opposite side from where she'd enter. Lucy was standing below him on the ground, appearance perfect, no evidence of their games.

She introduced herself as Mickey Chickentiger, and he had to hold back a snort at her name, but his amusement disappeared as he zoned out of their conversation, turning his thoughts to the rest of his guildmates. He was jolted out of his thoughts when the bond between him and Lucy exploded in joy. 

Leaping over to the blond from his place on the tree, he landed in a crouch beside his summoner. The lacrima in Lucy's hand connected to the man who raised him and his heart nearly burst under the weight of his feelings.

Static filled the air, painfully piercing his sensitive hearing. Thankfully, the connection cut out soon afterwards, but they descended into an awkward silence.

Mickey tried to fill the silence with stories about the Guild, but she mentioned Erza and Gray, but the betrayal was too fresh to be reminded of, and they flinched. Then she brought up Happy, and he nearly recoiled again. He didn't want to leave his partner behind, but the Council had been after him since they were made aware of him, and he couldn't let that happen.

Lucy and Mickey talked into the night, but his thoughts wouldn't leave him. He had believed that Erza and Gray were his friends and that they were close, especially after taking jobs with them, but they had proven him wrong with their easy acceptance of the Council's words. They didn't even give a token's protest to fighting against them, and he knew Gray had gone for a couple of shots that could've killed him if he was human.

Eventually, Mickey left. He knew they were as alone as they could be, so he brought up something that had been bothering him all night. "Luce, why didn't they have even the tiniest bit of hesitation?" He knew she would know who he was talking about, and with the pang, he felt through the bond, she was thinking about it too.

"I don't know Natsu… But why don't we go and find out?" 


	26. Vatra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4th Chapter today! Again, make sure you haven't missed out on anything and go read the previous 3!
> 
> Tell me what you think! I always love hearing your opinions!

Hargeon is never quite silent, not like how their place in the forest could be. There's always the sound of crashing waves, people chattering or horns blaring permeating the air.

She can see Natsu cringing slightly under the noise, and she has to stop herself from doing the same. Zivel would change some things; she knew that, but she had never tested the extent of what would change. Her mother's pages had told her as much, but she had forgotten about it until now, not really recognizing the things that were changing.

Now that she was aware of it, though, she could feel every difference. Her muscles had changed slightly, they had become lither, intended for speed, but that was what she was focusing on anyways, so it wasn't much of a problem. Her centre of gravity had shifted downwards, adapted for using wings, and she bent a little forwards as a result. Her senses had become sharper, sight, hearing, smell, even touch, and taste had improved. She was sure her stomach had altered, but she didn't know what for, same with her lungs and throat.

Natsu and the others weren't helpful at all; they'd always had these small modifications. She would do nearly anything to get stuck into research with Levy again, much like she had done before they knew what Zivel entailed.

A small noise of pain caught her attention, and she swivelled her head to look down an alley to her left, where the noise had originated. She and Natsu didn't need to look at each other as they came to the same decision, both heading down the alley at the same time.

At the end was a small girl, about six years of age, with burns covering her body, and her tattered clothes smoking. She was curled up in a ball, whimpering and clutching her arms to her chest. But although she was in pain, she still had enough energy to stand and move into a defensive posture; it was impressive.

Lucy raised her hands in the universal sign of peace, carefully telegraphing her movements as not to scare her. She slowly dug into the pouch on her hip, retrieving the burn cream she had kept for Natsu's spars with their guildmates.

"I'm not going to hurt you; this is burn cream. May I see your arms?" She spoke in a calm, soothing tone.

The girl glared suspiciously at her, glancing at the pot of cream she had in her hand. Suddenly, she swiped the pot out of her hand, scuttling back behind a garbage bin. Natsu stepped backwards, making room for Lucy to straighten up and give the girl space.

She unscrewed the lid, sniffing at the contents, before slowly spreading it onto the burnt patches. She could hear the sigh of relief she let out, the cream doing its job.

Natsu suddenly froze and his head whipped around to look at the entrance of the alleyway. He spoke in a hushed tone, "Erza's coming. She and Gray are heading to the Docks." Lucy crouched and leapt onto the wall, rebounding until she reached the top. She looked down at the girl, amazement clear on her small features.

Winking, she dropped back down, landing in front of her, "Do you want to come with us? We can protect you from whoever did that to you."

"I'm sure you can. But sure, I'm Vatra." She shrugged and took her hand. Lucy pulled her close, careful not to brush against her wounds and leapt up to the roof again. Vatra clambered onto her back, holding on like a sloth.

Lucy adjusted her before she shot off the edge, gaze zeroing in on the head of red hair in the crowd. They followed them for a while, ducking behind chimneys or in alleys when Erza or Gray suddenly twisted around, trying to find who was trailing them.

Erza reached the dock, saying something to Gray that they were too far away to hear. The two split up, going in opposite directions. They also split up, she and Vatra followed Gray, and Natsu took off after Erza.

She watched as Gray talked to the ship captains, each of them refusing vehemently to take them to someplace called Galuna Island, saying the place was cursed. Eventually, he found a rickety old boat, sailed by a dark-skinned man with a green cloak, who agreed to take them.

Gray takes out a small lacrima, and she can see him push a tendril of magic into the orb, contacting Erza. He speaks to the sailor, and she can vaguely hear him confirm something before he turns around to lean against a stone wall.

A constant clanging of armour announces Erza's arrival, and despite running from the other end of the port, she didn't even have the decency to look winded.

The two talk for a bit, but they eventually get on the boat. Natsu appears behind her silently, and she can feel Vatra vibrating on her back in excitement.

Pushing magic into Amanzi's key, she materializes in an explosion of blue and silver, putting on a show for the girl on her back.

"How easy would it be for you to follow that boat underwater, and provide air for the three of us?" She gets straight to the point, and Natsu disappears in a flare of golden and red flames.

Amanzi thinks it over for a minute, " _Depends on how long I do it for, but I'm assuming you want to get to the island I can feel over there?"_

Lucy checks her mental map, "Yep, that's the one." Amanzi giggles, before she nods and jumps down to the edge of the water.

Erza and Gray had travelled far enough away by now that they wouldn't be able to see them from their boat, but she was still cautious as she followed Amanzi into the water.

Tiny air bubbles float up from where Amanzi dived, dispersing and reforming into a small bubble that would just fit over the two's heads.

Vatra hisses as she enters the water, the salt of the ocean making her wounds sting. She curses under her breath; she had forgotten about her burns. Twisting her head around, she asks, "Are you okay?" Vatra nods and smiles, so she starts following the path Gray and Erza had taken.

Swimming to the island isn't exactly difficult, but it's not easy either, considering she had a six-year-old on her back. By boat, the trip would take only hours, swimming, however, takes far longer, and they eventually arrive by sunrise the next day.

When she drags herself onto the shore, she can see Gray and Erza face up on the beach, unconscious, having been swept to shore by a large wave, if the broken pieces of boat and marks on the sand are any indication.

She flops onto the sand a ways away from the unconscious duo, letting the world know her exhaustion through a loud groan. She lifts her head to thank Amanzi for her help, but the spirit only nods and disappears back into her key.

Vatra pulls herself off her back at the same time, Natsu bursts out of his key, and the kid immediately starts running in a circle around the fire mage's feet. She's so excited she ends up tripping and face-planting into the sand, but she still gets out, "Can you teach me magic?"

Natsu crouches down, a stern look on his face, "Are those burn marks from trying to use fire magic?" He gestures to the bandages covering her arms, and she looks down.

"Yeah… But, I managed to make a fireball!" She starts jumping around excitedly, proud of her achievements.

His face doesn't change much from his stern look, but there's disappointment there too. "Vatra. Listen, Fire Magic is one of the magic's you can't learn without a teacher. It can cause serious injuries to your body, especially a young one. So I need you to tell me, why did you think attempting to use it would be a good idea?" The calm tone of his voice reassured her he's not mad, but he needs to know her reasoning.

The kid starts mumbling as she looks away from him in shame. "I don't have anybody to take care of me, and some of the older kids learnt magic so they could join a guild and earn money, so I tried it." He blinks as he processes her answer.

Lucy goes to jump into the conversation, but she's cut off when Gray groans and shifts, waking up under the heat of the morning sun. She grabs Vatra and leaps into the trees behind her, Natsu following her into the shadows.

Gray stumbles around dazedly before he has enough presence of mind to realize Erza's unconscious in front of him.

He shakes her awake, and as soon as she blinks through the sleepy haze, jumps to her feet and summons a sword, looking for potential dangers.

Her partner sniggers quietly, and she softly whacks him on the arm before they leave the two to explore the island.

Guilt was something Erza was very familiar with, it never really went away, not after she had broken a promise she had made to herself years ago; to never fight against those she considered Nakama again. She had done it once with Jellal, and she ended up losing the only friends she had. Sure, she joined Fairy Tail and made new ones, but the ones she made while in the Tower of Heaven were special to her, and as much as she didn't say it, Gray, Natsu and Lucy were special to her too. And she had ruined it.

"-a! -za! Erza!" She grumbles under her breath. Gray was shouting at her; why? "Erza, get up. We're here…" That got her attention. She leapt to her feet and summoned a sword, pointedly ignoring the way Gray snickers.

"If we were in danger, surely we'd be dead by now?" She also ignores his unhelpful comments and sets off in the direction of the village, following the instructions the client left with the request.

He scrambles to get to his feet while she leaves the beach behind, following the path through the woods. When he catches up, the mood turns sombre, "Where do you think Lucy and Natsu are?"

The question throws her for a loop, and she stops to turn and stare at him, "Well, I assume they're somewhere far away from Magnolia, maybe they got outside of Fiore. The Council might have even caught them."

Gray's face twists into a snarl, "Why do you sound so apathetic about all this!? They were our friends, our Nakama! And I can't remember actually fighting them, so I'm positive something messed with us! Aren't you angry!?"

"Of course, I am! But anger won't get us closer to finding them!"

"Yeah?! But neither will apathy!"

They yell at each other for a while, and eventually, they run out of things to say. Their chests heave with every breath as they glare at each other from their spots on the ground. Erza spares a glance at the sky, and Gray follows her gaze, letting out a soft curse.

She reaches into her Requip space while Gray digs around in his pack for their tents, settling down for the night. They end up on other sides of the camp, putting as much distance as possible between each other while still being close to the fire.

Their argument drained them both of energy, so they're out like a light by the time they settle into sleep.

There's loud yelling coming from the direction they left Gray and Erza, but when they arrive, there's only two tents, a fire and snores coming from the camp.

She shoots a look at Natsu, and he and Vatra have a mischievous grin stretched across their faces. She's sure she has one too.

Hopping down from their place in the canopy, Natsu shoves his hand in his pack and lets out a small triumphant noise when he brings out a marker.

Their grins spread to disturbing lengths.

With their work done, they jump back into the trees and she and Vatra descend into a peaceful sleep, content to let Natsu wake them in the morning.

The sun was only barely rising when Natsu woke them, and silence blanketed the clearing. Erza and Gray wouldn't be up for a while longer, but they didn't have time to wait. It would be mean, but their faces would make it worth it.

Clambering down off Natsu's back, they back off a bit, leaving Vatra in the middle of the camp. She takes a breath and races away from them, letting out high-pitched laughs as she weaves around their hands, amused smiles on all of their faces. They continue to chase each other, slowly bringing the two mages out of their slumber.

Gray and Erza exit from their tents at the same time, annoyed looks on their faces, probably wondering who would be so insensitive to play with their kid at the ass-crack of dawn.

They spot Vatra first, running over to them in the shadows of the trees. They wouldn't be able to see them, but she gives a wave anyways.

Natsu had covered Gray in crude pictures of animals, the most prominent one being the butterfly that stretches over half his face and back to his ear. Erza sports a moustache that curls up at the ends and an eyeglass as she stares at Vatra with enough concern that it was leaching into the air around her.

Vatra looks like someone had pulled her out of a garbage dump, then left her in the forest for years. They hadn't had any clothes that would fit her, so they made some from the leaves and plants around them.

Tapping Natsu on the arm, they step forward into the light at the same time, straining to hold back their laughter at the stupefied look on their faces, as well as the ridiculous doodles.

There's silence for a while, and Erza's still standing there in shock, but Gray launches himself at Natsu, Ice magic gathering in his palms. Natsu jumps back, but he also has his magic ready, and they shoot at each other, their collision ending in an explosion of steam. The explosion shocks Erza out of her surprise, and she stumbles forward, reaching out to Lucy like she's going to disappear if she touches her.

Her spirit has tumbled onto the ground, initiating a brawl that consisted of hair-grabbing, poor insults, and sloppy fighting. Erza is on her knees, and there's so much hope on her face it makes it hard to breathe. She kneels beside her, moving slowly, and pulls her into a tight hug. Something crashes into her from behind, and a whisper and the chill of ice tells her it's Gray who's attached himself to them like an octopus.

She carefully retracts herself from Erza's bone-crushing hug, to pull them both into her like a sandwich, Natsu opposite her.

Time passes, she doesn't know how long, but she doesn't care. Erza stopped sobbing some time ago, and Gray never made a sound, only pulling himself closer before stilling. She suspects he fell asleep.


	27. Galuna Island

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go guys! Back to our regularly scheduled Sunday chapters! 
> 
> Let me know what you think!

The setting sun gives her an idea of how long they sat there, but she doesn't pay any mind to it. Right now, the only thing that was on anyone's minds was that they were safe. And Erza and Gray especially needed that reassurance.

Finally, the air gets too cold to risk staying out any longer without a fire. Lucy tries to pull away to set up hers and Natsu's tents, but Gray makes a high-pitched keening noise in his sleep that breaks her heart. Settling back down with a sigh, she reaches over Erza, and pushes Natsu down across from her, dragging her fingers down the sides of his spine.

Almost immediately, he stretches like she had seen Happy do on occasion, and curls up in a ball facing her and purrs loudly. The air surrounding them heats quickly, as Natsu loosens the iron grip he had on his body temperature.

Erza startles at the noise and twists around to stare incredulously at the fire mage. Her movement wakes Gray, who also stares at Natsu in disbelief. But her spirit doesn't notice their looks, falling asleep quickly.

Vatra slides into the space between her and Natsu, not entirely trusting Gray or Erza yet, and the clearing becomes filled with the sounds of quiet snores. Gray stands with his bedroll, before flopping back down behind Natsu. Erza follows suit, shifting to lay behind her.

* * *

Erik's the one who wakes them in the morning. Gray, Erza and Natsu get treated with ice-cold water dumped on them, while she and Vatra get to laugh by the treeline, far away from any retaliation. Sadly, Gray isn't bothered; he only sits up, shakes off the excess water and stumbles off into the forest with a distracted mumble to find food.

Natsu, on the other hand; leaps high into the air with a yowl and lands on his hands and feet, glaring at Erik. He looks like a drowned rat, and she briefly wonders how many mannerisms he gets from Happy, who was the only constant person in his life on Earthland. Erza is in the middle of the two; she sits up suddenly, her head swivelling like an owl to lock on the bucket in Erik's hand before she relaxes, standing to follow Gray to find food.

Laughter rings throughout the clearing, one; high and musical, the other; boisterous and hysterical. Everything stops at the sounds; Natsu freezes in mid-air, charging at Erik, Gray is halfway to the ground, having tripped over his feet, and Erza has a face like an exasperated parent who has just failed to corral her children, looking between them.

To make things worse, Amanzi summons herself, along with the others, and they launch at each other, instigating a brawl. She herds Vatra away from the fighting, ignoring the way she struggles in her grip.

By the time the brawl had finished, every single one of them is missing clothing, covered in mud, groaning on the floor, or some combination of the three. Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Erik are responsible for the missing clothing, but she's not ashamed to admit she enjoyed the look on Saol's face when she pantsed him.

Eventually, they pack up and set off for the village, and she and Natsu share a look before she leans in to whisper in Erza's ear.

There's a flash of metal and Erza's gauntlet collides with Gray's head. He yanks his arms up to cover the sore spots, twisting around to yell at Erza, "Hey! What'd you do that for?!"

"We're going the wrong way."

"And how is that _my_ fault?!"

* * *

When they arrive at the tall wooden gates, she's not surprised when Natsu struts right up to them and yells, "Oi! Let us in!", before proceeding to scale them like it's a climbing wall with Vatra clinging to his back like a koala.

She's also not surprised when the inhabitants start throwing wooden spears at them, but she's not happy about it. She turns to share a look with Gray and Erza, before she sighs and shakes her head fondly, meandering up to the gates.

Infusing magic into her legs, she springs up to where Natsu is dangling by one hand halfway up the wall and grabs him by the back of his neck – like a mother cat would do to her kitten. He immediately falls limp, and his legs curl up underneath him. And if he had a tail, she imagines that would tuck underneath him too. Vatra giggles from her place on her back and clambers her way onto her shoulders.

Jumping back down to the ground, she drops the limp spirit onto the dirt and nods her head at Erza, letting her take the lead and apologize for Natsu. She did _not_ feel like dealing with the repercussions of his actions.

The armoured mage steps forward, launching into negotiations, and eventually, the gates open. Curiously, despite it being almost midday, only a scarce few villagers are out and about, rushing from one destination to the next, as if being outside physically pained them.

One of the guards, the only one not to have thrown her spear at them, escorts them to a small hut on the outskirts, nearly hidden by the overgrowth of plants and fauna. The guard shoulders open the door, and meekly apologizes for the state of their housing, bustling around the hut as she cleans. Since the island was a little too out of the way for tourists, and the shed didn't seem to have been disturbed for years, she assumed they hadn't had a visitor in a very long time.

Once they have settled into their hut for the duration of their stay, she calls Lura out, sinking themselves underground, out of the way of prying ears and eyes. When Erza and Gray have regained their balance, Lura disappears, and Natsu lights his hand on fire, illuminating the room.

Natsu had wanted to do this earlier, but she protested against it; they had all needed some time to gather their thoughts and get used to being around each other again.

By the looks on Gray and Erza's faces, they have some idea about what this is about, but they don't know all of it. She speaks first, tone and expression grave, "So? What happened."

Erza raises an eyebrow at her lack of tact but starts regardless. "To be honest, neither of us remember fighting. But before we set out, one of the rune knights wanted to talk in private with us. I thought it might've been a threat or insult against you, but I can't remember anything between that, and stepping off the train at Magnolia."

She rears back at the information, taking a moment to process it all. So many things made sense now, and more connections were forming. As her mind finally slows down, Natsu holds her as she stares blankly at the wall, Erza and Gray are leaning forward as if they want to help, but don't know if they can, and Vatra's silently playing with her hair.

Shaking her head, she pulls herself away from the furnace at her back, and rests her face in her hands, groaning, mindful of the child sitting on her shoulders.

Pointing at the two with her other hand pinching the bridge of her nose, she tells them, "To put it bluntly, Mest has probably tampered with your perception and memories. He manipulated each of us into thinking he was always part of the guild with his magic. But, with how long we've been away from the guild, his influence has worn off. And, you have to admit, it's pretty damn suspicious that we get a new member that uses his magic to integrate themselves into our inner circles, and then suddenly, the council is cracking down on us."

"Mest? How did you get there?" She frowns, "He's been with us since… He…" Looking up with an alarmed expression, she stares at Lucy, "I don't have any information on him beyond the bare basics. I don't know when he joined, where he came from, who he's friends with, anything…" Gray also looks alarmed from where he's leaning against the wall, and he frowns as he crosses his arms over his chest.

The silence stretches on for what feels like hours, only the slight crackling of the fire in Natsu's palm, Vatra's soft humming, and the breathing of their team fill the gap left by their realization.

Eventually, Gray breaks the silence, a competitive smirk on his face. "So, who won?" She doesn't need to see to know Erza's hand has smacked against the side of his head.

Gray's smirk falls when a shit-eating grin stretches across Natsu's features. He shoots forward in his seat, "No. No way. _He_ _beat me?!"_ The grin doesn't fall as Gray continues to voice his disbelief.

"Truly, I had thought you managed to get away in time, not that you had won against the both of us and the rune knights…" The disbelief hurt a bit, and she knows that's not what they meant, but she thought they would've had more trust in their abilities.

Loke takes the lapse in conversation as his cue to summon himself, straightening his tie as he appears. He turns to her, bending at the waist to whisper in her ear, "Do you wish for me to show them?" As he talks, his mouth twists into an impish grin, and she feels hers do the same.

Out of the corner of her eye, one of Natsu's long pointy ears – they never went quite back to normal – is twitching towards them, and she knows a matching grin is making its way onto his features. Vatra starts vibrating with excitement on her shoulders and drums her fingers against her head.

Sometime during their stay in the forest, she had pulled out her mother's notes and started making her own. She'd nearly forgotten about them, with all the excitement and kidnapping and new people to meet, but she had translated a few pages in her downtime, and come across one with the heading, "Star Memory". From what she'd read and heard, it was a giant archive of every spirit's memories, primarily used for settling disputes. And, technically, this counted as one.

Her mother's journal was extremely comprehensive, with detailed drawings and notes, along with quotes from the original pages and the spirits she had at the time – almost exclusively from Capricorn – so she and Natsu didn't panic when a very complicated golden circle appears on the ground.

Gray and Erza didn't have much of a reaction, merely raising an eyebrow at the three of them, and giving them a deadpan stare. They were long since used to Natsu's mischievous tendencies, and more recently, hers.

As the circle grows, the brightness intensifies, and abruptly, she can't see anything but bright gold light for a moment. However, she can still feel Vatra on her shoulders as well as Natsu and Loke by her side.

They reappear in a vast expanse of stars, and she has to stifle a snort at Erza and Gray's attires. And then she spots Natsu out of the corner of her eye, and she can't stop herself from doubling over in hysterics – he has lion ears where his lengthened Draconis ones were supposed to be instead of on top of his head like theirs.

It seemed that his status as a spirit interfered with his transformation, but it doesn't stop any of them from laughing, especially when they catch sight of his tail. It was supposed to be like theirs, but golden scales half replace the black fur, and the fluffy end is the same shade of his hair, and aflame with golden fire.

Looking over herself, she breathes a sigh of relief when she sees their skin hadn't changed; she dreaded the results of fur or scales with their tattoos over the top.

She, Erza, Gray, and what she can see of Vatra look normal by comparison, ears and tail end's the same colour of their hair, with accents the colour of their magic. Dark and light blue for Gray, red and gold for Erza and blond and silver for her. Vatra hasn't trained her magic yet, but she thinks she can see faint highlights of black in the ginger's new features. She frowns, filing the information in the back of her mind, she had thought that she used fire magic.

Loke floats past her, curled up in a ball as he laughs at Natsu, unable to get a breath in. To be mean, she sends over her memory of Bixlow's chicken-dance. He curls up tighter as if the pressure would make the laughter go away, and tears start floating away from him, some ending up in his hair.

Vatra tugs her hair, so she pulls her off her shoulders to float in front of her and Natsu. She points to her lion spirit, "What's funny?"

She snickers before gently pushing the memory over to the girl. She hadn't ever tested telepathy with a child, but she thinks there were warnings against it.

Carefully studying her expression for any sign of pain or discomfort is in vain, because the red-head immediately lets out a snort, then a snicker, then full-on laughter. Erza and Gray are staring at her now, so she sends the memory over too, smugly watching as they devolve into the same state as Vatra and Loke.

Natsu nudges her with an elbow, and she rolls her eyes, sending over a memory from her time at the guild, involving Mirajane, and curiously, Levy, terrifying Master into submission. Loke, Gray and Erza freeze and pale immediately as the memory plays behind their eyes and they shudder, shaking their heads in unison as they try to rid themselves of the images.

Loke clears his throat and straightens himself out, composing himself enough to do his job, even if he still giggles a bit. "Star Memory is the archive for all Celestial Spirit's memories, and also records happenings outside of our keys. It is usually only accessed when we have disagreements or arguments, but sometimes it's used to replay fond memories. I brought you here because I, and the Celestial Spirit King, felt that you two needed to see your fight with the Princess. Later, this may feel like a dream, but I assure you everything you see here is the complete and total truth."

Erza and Gray exchange a glance before nodding at Loke, and he leads them over to where the memory's playing, through a tear in space.

* * *

The memory in front of her is blinding, and she can see herself, but she feels disconnected.

_It's not me. I wouldn't do that._

Natsu snaps his wings out, racing into the air like the ground's painful.

_A Dragon. Maybe he was right._

One of the other two, she thinks Lucy called him Erik, follows Natsu's ascent, while the female – Lura – manifests wicked sharp claws.

 _Dragons. Humanoid Dragons. He_ was _right._

She can see herself stand on the side-lines, watching dispassionately as the spirits in front of her tear through the masses.

_Help- I have to help them, they'll die._

Knights fall, one by one, and she has to stop herself from going down there.

_A memory, it's only a memory, I can't help._

The Draconis fall in beside Lucy, straying not an inch from their original positions.

_Their formation doesn't make sense._

Natsu leaps towards Gray, his four limbs working in unison, allowing him a speed much greater than usual.

_He was leading him away, separating the hazardous magics. Not bad._

Gray and Natsu disappear into the treeline, and the memory freezes before it refocuses' on a large clearing. Natsu dives at Gray, burning his skin.

_That temperature, Natsu doesn't think of him as an ally anymore._

She can see the Gray and Natsu beside her recoil at the attack, and Natsu looks away in shame. Gray places a hand on his side, where the burn scar lies.

_How hot do flames have to be to cause instant scarring…?_

Lucy places a hand on Natsu's shoulder, and his tail curls around her leg, ears flattening against his head.

_How had I not seen it…? There's something special between these two. No, there's something special between all of them._

The Gray in the memory blocks a flame-covered fist and reshapes his ice into twin swords, swinging them at his Natsu's chest. She sees her Lucy's head twist around to lock onto Gray, sending a vicious glare at him.

_That attack, if Natsu had been any closer or lower, it would've been instantly fatal._

Natsu sweeps a wing over his shoulder to press the fire against the slices, and when they retreat, they've healed completely. Lucy's glare diminishes into a frown, and she turns her full attention back to the memory.

_His fire…? It heals…? So, Gray was burnt badly but recovered almost immediately, that's a dangerous ability._

Gray says something to Natsu and shoots at him. Blue ice forms behind his back, but she can't identify what he's making. The tattoos on Natsu's chest split and half stream down to curl over his waist and navel. The ones on his shoulders and collarbone glow and thicken, and Natsu's wings flare outwards, making the fire blaze brightly, and his wings grow.

_Lucy and the others must've defeated me at this point, and the unnecessary magic transferred to Natsu. But what are the tattoos on his waist?_

At the small of his back, a small ball of fire appears, and she watches as it extends down to the ground. The new tail is the same semi-solidness as his wings; transparent scales covered in golden flames, and he flicks it a couple of times before he leaps into the air again.

_He's much faster in the air this time, and he doesn't need to land to dodge attacks anymore, only having to move slightly to avoid them._

She can see the Gray below her curse and block a shockwave from a bone-breaking swipe of Natsu's tail. Beside her, Lucy and Natsu are inspecting his tattoos, most likely trying to find any sign of it happening again. Turning to face the pair, she can spot the tattoos crawling over his hips and waist to end at the base of his spine.

_It'll probably form again next time, but maybe the others can't do it?_

Gray's first ice shield shatters as soon as the shockwave hits it, and so does the second, but it only cracks the last and Gray is left unscathed. Natsu flies at Gray with a flaming foot, breaking the shield and sending him crashing into a tree when another swipe of his tail follows.

_I knew that for all he played the fool, that Natsu was powerful, though he never used his whole strength in spars. But to think he was holding back this much._

The tree Gray crashed into is demolished on impact, and he slumps down against the one behind it, unconscious. Natsu hesitantly makes his way over to Gray, poking him with his tail when he gets close enough. When there's no reaction, he slides the appendage under him and places Gray on his back, keeping the limb wrapped around him to make sure he didn't slide off.

The memory freezes when Natsu disappears within the woods and starts again when Natsu leads Gray to the clearing. Instead of refocusing on their fight, she watches as the Poison and Earth Draconis – Erin and Laura? – shoot towards her.

_It's an excellent chance to identify any holes in my fighting, and hopefully, Lucy and Natsu will let me help them fix any gaps they have. That's if they trust me anymore._


	28. The Cursed Residents

When Loke returns them to their cavern, the glow of the circle briefly illuminates the features of Erza and Gray, revealing them to be in deep thought. She summons Lura, and she lifts them back above ground, where the soft light of dawn and the quiet murmuring of the villagers greets them. The new level of noise jolts the pair out of their thoughts and Erza immediately stalks away to find the Chief, mumbling to herself as she searches.

She turns to Gray, "So, what _is_ this mission for anyways?" He trips over his feet at her question and nearly face-plants into the wall in front of him.

"Why are you here if you don't know why we are, I figured you'd be as far away from Fiore as possible." He's staring at her like she's insane as they follow Erza at a more leisurely pace.

Her face lights up with a roguish grin, and he shuffles away a bit. "Because we followed you." Gray trips over himself again at her blunt answer, and this time he does crash into a wall, which manages to hold his weight, barely.

"You followed us? With a child? _Why_?" The insinuation that Vatra would get hurt makes her grin drop immediately. Gray seems to have realized what he's said and scoots away even further. Or it was the snarl that made it halfway onto both her and Natsu's faces.

Erza places her body between them as she cuts in with, "Stop. Now. We're in the presence of Chief Moka." Lucy's new instincts bristle at the order, and it's her experience with Erza that makes her settle down, but only just.

A short man covered head to toe in a heavy cloak, revealing nothing but his eyes steps out from behind Erza, saying "I am the Chief of this village, Moka. Before we get started, I have something to show you. Follow me!" He spins around to stalk back to where he came from, without letting them get a word in edgewise.

The heavily cloaked man leads them to the centre of the village, where all the residents are milling around as they get ready for the new day. He hurries to the front of the group before dropping his cloak, and the villagers follow after a moment. Erza and Gray aren't as surprised as the other three; their boatman had shown them part of the curse, but they still jumped slightly and looked over them in equal parts morbid curiosity and shock.

Just as they process the sight in front of them, the demons' features suddenly lose their solidity, becoming a slime-like substance as the full force of the morning sun hits them. But as they start melting, they don't drip onto the ground. Instead, they're absorbed by the human limbs beneath them in a disturbing show of how a sponge works, complete with sound effects.

Each of the villagers has at least one feature that doesn't turn to normal, and the small Chief in front of them sports a large, scaled arm on his left side.

Moka steps forward again, spreading his one demonic arm wide as he says, "Ever since it has turned purple, the evil spell of the moon has cursed my people! We've consulted countless doctors, but they say there is no disease like this, and have secluded ourselves on this island since!" He lowers his head, tears streaming from his eyes. "The moon… You must destroy the moon. If you won't do it for me, then do it for the people of this village, for the people who had their minds taken away, for my son…" Sobbing, he collapses on himself, and the citizens closest to him rush forward, offering comfort.

They turn to each other, determination present in each of them. Refacing the villagers, Erza steps forward, "As members of Fairy Tail, we will do everything in our power to break your curse." She slammed a hand over her breastplate, above her heart, and summoned one of her swords, driving it into the ground. "I swear it." She wasn't loud, but her voice echoed throughout the village, resonating with every single citizen.

* * *

Erza bursts into their hut as soon as she settles down and drags her by the wrist. "Come! Time to explore!" Natsu gives her an amused grin, and she absently wonders if Natsu got his lack of restraint from Erza instead of the other way around.

She stumbles over a root when they enter the woods just past the front gate and narrowly avoids getting a blood-nose, though her face still hurts. Erza finally pauses and gives a strange look, like she can't figure out why she's like this. Somehow, her magic feels offended, and roils under her skin, making her tattoos glow lightly under her clothes.

Vatra gives Erza an unimpressed look from atop of Natsu's head – he unknowingly copies her – and she lets go of her wrist, drawing away from the three. Her head is ringing, but she's not entirely sure if it was the collision with the tree or the rest of the Draconis clamouring to get her attention.

The five of them keep walking for a bit, wandering around until a shadow covers the area surrounding them. Erza looks up first, summoning a sword when she spots a giant blue rat? Wearing maid clothes?

The rat lets out a cloud of foul-smelling gas, and she's not sure if it's an ability or just its breath. The sheer strength of the stench overloads their sensitive noses, and they collapse onto the ground, doubling over themselves with nausea.

Gray darts over to them, checking to see if she was alright and Natsu manages a shaky thumbs-up before throwing himself to the side to vomit. When the sound reaches her, her stomach decides it should follow suit, and she flings Gray at the rat in an attempt to get him away from the reappearance of her breakfast.

Erza looks vaguely green as she readies her sword and Vatra's scrambling to escape the cloud of gas, but it's sticking to her clothes, and she now has her very own personal stink bomb.

If she had the strength to, she'd direct her to the river up ahead, but she can't even move from her prone position on the floor, never mind corral the flailing red-head.

Ice spreads across the ground from behind the rat, making it scrabble to find purchase on the smooth surface and eventually slip and fall, knocking itself out.

Vatra ended up finding the river, going by the wet hair and rags. It was probably accidental.

As Gray and Erza make their way over to them to check if they're injured, the smell sticking to their clothes overwhelms her and Natsu, and they pass out.

* * *

She wakes up in a temple of some sort, it looks ancient, as if touching it would make it collapse.

Natsu's still unconscious, but the rest of her Draconis are pressing themselves as close as possible to her. Its as if they couldn't stand the thought of being away from her.

Snickering alerts her to another presence in their shelter, but she relaxes when she realizes the sound was coming from Gray. She stares at him with a raised eyebrow until it dies out, and they sit in silence until Erza comes back in from scouting the rest of the temple a few minutes later.

"Good, you're up. Wake Natsu will you?" She growls lowly at the order, but Erza is too far away to hear it. Gray shoots her a concerned glance from across the room, but she waves him off as she goes to wake Natsu and the rest.

Erik, Saol, Amanzi and Aurinko wake almost immediately and pass back through the gate as soon as they're reassured she's unharmed. Natsu's a bit harder, but that was likely because he was unconscious. Lura sleeps like the dead, so they end up carrying her as they explore the place.

As they explore, Lura suddenly wakes, and she panics. Natsu drops her in surprise, and she stops floundering as soon as she touches the ground, but it's too late, and the floor beneath them crumbles.

Thankfully, the fall isn't long, and nobody's hurt, although her neck is sore from Vatra landing on it. But the noise they made attracted the attention of the people down here. The number of footsteps heading towards them indicate three people, but she can sense another following behind them, seemingly without them knowing.

They head further into the underground cave, towards where their four pursuers came from, but still avoiding them. Lucy feels Natsu open the connection between them and Lura, and she startles, having forgotten they could communicate like that. Lura sounds alarmed as she asks, " _What's_ _wrong?"_

 _"There's a strange smell coming from ahead, like dust, evil and magic."_ She's not surprised that Natsu smelt it first; she knows Natsu has the best senses of them all, but their pursuers are long gone, and there's not a lot of things that could have a smell like that.

By now, the four signatures have stopped, milling around where she thinks the floor – or ceiling – collapsed. Eventually, they start walking back in the direction they came from, and their mystery follower disappears from her senses.

She returns her attention to the conversation in her head, and absently replies as she readjusts Vatra, " _Yeah, I can smell it too."_ Lura hums in agreement, keeping her gaze locked ahead of her.

Erza and Gray are looking at them strangely, and Natsu sighs before connecting them as well. " _There's_ _a strange scent up ahead, like old, dark magic, and we're getting closer to it by the minute."_ They had all gotten very used to operating on their own, with no one but themselves to answer to, so she could understand his slight annoyance.

Up ahead, a faint blue light illuminates the exit of the passageway, and she steals a glance at everyone. They each catch her eye, giving her a nod, and they step forward into the large cave in front of them.

* * *

They had long since left them behind – those who were chasing them and the two in the rain both. She did feel a little guilty for not helping, one of the two was like them after all, and the other was a child, but at that moment, their freedom and safety were more important.

She turned her line of sight upwards, towards the cleverly hidden base in the mountains, and a rare smile graced her features; they were almost there.

Her partner giggled as she began to scale the cliff face, nerves and hesitance lacing every movement, but he quickly stopped laughing when he realized he was worse.

Despite being midday when they started climbing, it was late afternoon – almost night – when they reached the cave. Her partner let out a rage-filled scream when he spotted a path leading up that was only visible from where they were. She sent him a confused look, and he threw a hand in the direction of the trail.

Her scream could be heard for miles, scaring the birds and wildlife around them.

Before she could finish letting out all her rage, an obese man adorned with riches shuffled his way out and spoke in a very slimy tone. "Now what are two rare specimens such as yourselves doing on our front doorstep? Hmm?" He suddenly turned back towards the inside with a speed that was not possible for a man of his size and barked out, "Capture them. They'll sell _very_ well."

They don't even get enough time to start a basic escape plan before they capture them. One of the members who was only slightly less sleazy than the fat man before apparently had a handy magic for capture and trapping; 'Magic Restricting Net'. Not very versatile, but one that had bested them all the same.

He drags them both across the rough stone floor of the cave – which is larger than they expected – and throws them in a cage next to a pretty white-haired child, who couldn't have been older than twelve.

"Yukino." One of the members spat, "Clean up." The white-haired girl – Yukino – lowered her head and started shuffling towards the broom in the very back of the cave.


	29. Deliora

At the sight of the towering prison of ice, Gray takes in a sharp, shuddering breath that echoes throughout the cavern. Erza shoots him a concerned glance, but she quickly switches back to perusing the room for danger. He steps back, shaking, and she _knows_ he's quickly covering the air around him in a thin layer of dark mist without even looking at him.

Vatra taps the side of her head to catch her attention, and she picks the red-head up off her shoulders. But as she goes to place her down gently, she twists in her grip and drops to the ground next to Natsu.

Someone snorts, but she detects no amusement in it. It was as if it escaped unconsciously. But she doesn't mind, not when Gray - and everyone else - is so clearly distressed at the sight of Demon before them.

Lura takes a hesitant step towards the monolithic structure from beside her, reaching out to touch it. Just as her fingers brush against the ice, Gray darts forward and snatches her wrist away, her pupil's slit at the unexpected contact and she hisses, showing off sharp canines. He glances between Lura, and her and Natsu, and draws his hand back towards his chest, slowly, and without making any sudden movements that might cause them to attack him.

When his hand finally leaves her wrist, their hackles settle, and she pulls her magic back into her, keeping it laying just beneath the surface of her skin. "This ice imprisons Deliora, the demon that ravaged my homeland." As he spoke, writhing layers of black seeped into the air, curling and twisting as Gray seethes, releasing the ice-cold fury that usually lay dormant.

It was frightening how used she'd gotten to her new sensing abilities, and she knew she had gotten somewhat reliant on them, but she'd had no idea just how much until they'd disappeared. Her world was dark, and the only thing she could feel was hatred _rage **loathing**_ , but at least she could still see.

Lura jerks back from the ice mage, and she can see her panicking as the dark emotion suffocates her sixth sense. She frowns; she can't imagine being completely blind would be pleasant.

Gray moves closer to the ice, leaning forward to rest his forehead on it. "My master, Ur, sacrificed her life to imprison it within this ice, using her very life force to seal it inside."

The bond between them flooded with enough fear and panic that they very nearly started a feedback loop, which would only make things infinitely worse.

Finally, the hatred becomes too much for her to bear and her legs fail her, and she crumples, falling backwards into Natsu. Vatra skitters over to hide behind her, and she spots Erza striding forward from beside her and smack the back of Gray's head with her armoured hand.

The force of Erza's hit sends Gray tumbling to the floor with a yelp, and the fury suddenly vanishes.

As three sets of footsteps echo behind them – with another, smothered presence dogging their steps – from where they'd entered the cavern from, they scramble to their feet, readying themselves. To run or fight, Lucy didn't know, but nor did she care all that much.

Voices start to accompany the footsteps, and they dart behind a small outcrop of rocks that jutted out from the wall beside them.

Just as they dive behind the rocks, the footsteps stop and a female voice reverberates throughout the room, "My poor Angelica, she was defeated by some positively _awful_ people! We just _have_ t–"

"Sherry. _Shut. Up_." The female – Sherry – stomps her feet but does as the male says. "If your _rat_ was defeated, then we have intruders. And if we have intruders, then they've likely seen Deliora. So, we must locate and eliminate them before Reitei finds out."

She frowns at his last comment, Reitei must be either the mysterious fourth pursuer or, someone she hasn't encountered yet. The five of them share a glace before Lura's face lights up with an idea and she slowly crouches down, laying her palms flat against the floor.

One of the tunnels across from them – that she knows leads to a dead-end – echoes with the sound of a rock clattering across stone, as if something had disturbed it. Another male voice shouted something that sounded vaguely like a howl they rush off to the tunnel, the other two following in quick succession.

As the three move away from them, Erza lets out a sharp breath and fixes her attention on Deliora. "The curse on the residents and this might be related… Gray, what was the spell Ur used to imprison Deliora?"

"Iced Shell."

Lura gasps and collapses to the floor, face white as Natsu's scarf. Her body trembles and she whispers to herself, " _No…"_

She crouches down and places her palms on the spirit's shoulders, keeping her from falling over any more. "Lura? What's wrong?" She doesn't answer, only starting to shake more violently. "Lura. What's the matter?"

Natsu bends down beside her, and Vatra plants herself in her lap, both offering silent comfort.

_"Lura."_ Lucy tries again, but this time her tone is sharp, and she hates the way Natsu locks his emotions away and turns to look at her with a blank gaze, lost in bad memories and hiding behind the conditioned response. Lura straightens out of her folded position and mimics Natsu, expression neutral and ready to execute any command she might order, even if it might cause harm to herself.

Erza and Gray jump when Saol suddenly summons himself and pulls the two away from her. "What are you _doing?"_ He hisses at her, keeping his gaze on the two catatonic spirits. Vatra scrambles off Lura's lap and dives behind her back to hide.

She hastily brings her hands up to soothe him, rushing her words out. "I had to, she was panicking and shaking violently. She couldn't explain why, and she would've passed out if I hadn't done anything. You know I love you all like family, I wouldn't use it unless it were absolutely necessary."

The vines behind him stop writhing and droop limply as he relaxes. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm sorry. I just felt them lock their emotions away and anger took over so fast that I didn't have time to think about the why, just that it had happened."

Erza carefully steps over to them, curiosity wafting off her in droves. "What did you do?"

Lucy sighs, carefully restraining her instinct's offence at the almost accusation. "It's a conditioned response from their time with their previous summoners, who treated them like they were emotionless tools, just because they weren't human – even though most of them look like it. If they follow orders to the letter and don't let their emotions get in the way, there was less of a chance they'd be punished, or hurt further."

As she speaks, Natsu and Lura start to brighten up, recovering from their automatic shutdown. Gray moves closer, but the approach of an unknown entity triggers their threat response. They leap away from the group, lips drawn back and magic streaming through their systems to curl around their hands.

Gray slowly steps away from the two, seeing them relax a bit more the further he is away. She straightens herself from her crouch and makes her way towards them, hands hanging limply by her sides and posture relaxed. As she moves closer, they settle down enough for her to pull them into her lap and drag her fingers down their spines. Vatra settles beside her and runs her hands through Natsu's hair, messing up the already disarrayed spikes.

Saol loses all of his tension and stress when loud purrs fill the room, and he collapses bonelessly beside her, falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

A loud tremor is what wakes them in the early hours of the morning, and there's a moment of confusion as everyone tries to identify their limbs in the dark, but they manage to brandish their weapons and magic in a matter of seconds.

As the shaking subsides, a harsh, iridescent purple beam of magic slices through the roof of the cavern, blinding them – even if it's only for a moment.

The ice before them starts melting – nearly imperceptibly, but it does – and tiny beads of Ur's ice form a ring around where the light is boring into the prison, only visible to her and her spirit's enhanced vision.

Gray's face twists in anger, and he readies himself to rush away from them and find a way to the top, where he could stop Deliora from being released. But stone walls block him off from the first passageway, and the next, and the ones after, until the only way out is up.

He spins around and stalks towards Lura, where small concentric ripples spread from where she has her hands placed on the stone. She still has an expressionless mask on her face, but she doesn't seem to register Gray as a threat any longer and lets him approach.

Before he gets more than halfway, she says something that stops him in his tracks; "Moon Drip; A system that requires at least fifteen low-level magic users, that harnesses the force of the moon into a spell that nullifies any form of magic. Including, Iced Shell, any form of Summoning magic, and possibly the Magic Council's Etherion Cannon."

Erza gasps softly, " _Etherion?"_

Saol nods behind the Requip mage, humming in agreement. "Etherion is powered by giant lacrima crystals that sit underneath their Ishgar Headquarters in Era, that passively absorb the excess magic the council members and visiting mages release as they go about their day. If somehow, enough Moon Drip was to come into contact with the lacrimas, they could theoretically destroy Etherion. Of course, no one but the Chairman and a few others know about it."

She goes to speak, but Deliora's prison shatters and shards of ice explode towards them. She panics and dives at Vatra, curling around her to shield her from injury.

The last thing she felt was something sharp lodging itself in her back and arms.

* * *

There was only pain nowadays. It consumed his energy, his motivation, his magic, and he suspected it would take his life soon. He was tempted to give in, to let the spell take everything, and leave nothing but a husk, but a soft cry of pain caught his attention. It wasn't his, and his captors weren't that young, but there was no one else around.

The cry came again, this time louder, but it was distant, buried underground hundreds of layers of stone, in one of the cave systems scattered throughout the mountain. There was a different scream, this one child-like and full of agony. It was familiar, but he couldn't remember where from.

Opening his eyes should've hurt - especially with how bright his surroundings were - but what were needles piercing his eyes when he was in enough agony to fell an army.

His eyes adjusted to the brightness, not that it helped much, and for the first time in a long, long while, he took in his surroundings. He was suspended high in the air, high enough he could see the whole island laid out below him, and his wardens were but ants under his feet. He was bathed in purple, stretching down from the heavens in a beam of magic.

So, he was being used to accelerate the Moon Drip process again. That explained the pain then. It made sense, he used Moon Magic, so his captors would be able to channel the spell through him to make it much more effective.

There was something below him; it was drawing his focus, demanding he pays attention. Another joined it, on the opposite side of the mountain, splitting his mind in two. The first one was familiar, like that scream earlier, but he couldn't ignore the other, no matter how much he wanted to.

The spell abruptly cut off, and for a moment, he was flying, before gravity took hold once again and he fell.

It was a familiar sensation; the way his body cut through the air, how his hair whipped around him, even the feeling of his stomach situating itself in his throat. He glanced down, noting how close the ground was, it wasn't far now; twenty, fifteen, ten, eight feet. Now that he was close enough, he twisted in the air, positioning himself so to land safely.

Falling from such a height was almost guaranteed to spell anyone's demise, even those like him. He survived, yes. But his ward, she was the holder of Grandeeney of the Sky's magic and had softened his fall with a powerful twist of wind.

As he stood from his crouch, he blithely cast his attention over the area around him; the force of his shockwave had bowled over what little vegetation that had used be there. Most of his captors were in the same state, lying flat on their backs and unconscious, but there were a few to his right that had managed to get themselves behind someone's barrier and were gearing up for a fight.

He had just enough in him to put up a rune barrier around the four, but he'd be more than useless afterwards. It didn't matter though, the four before him were his ward's keepers, and she was close enough that once they were down, she'd be able to protect them.

* * *

A desperate scream tears itself from his throat, only able to watch helplessly as his master rushes headfirst into the shattered ice to protect her ward. He's only vaguely aware Lura and Natsu have finally come back to themselves, and the others have appeared as they do whatever they can to shield their summoner from the incoming damage.

They end up being too late.


	30. Waves and Ripples

His rune barrier was holding, even as they shot their best attacks against it in an attempt to escape. He kept in a scoff; this barrier could weather one of Natsu's Secret Arts, _while_ his ward was supporting him, they wouldn't be able to get out on their own in a million years.

Wendy was their best healer, but even she couldn't do much about Magic Deficiency Syndrome, the most she could do was speed up his Ethernano intake and processing slightly. But even that tiny speed boost made a world of difference, at least to him.

A sudden scream had him jolting up from his prone position on the floor, head tilted towards the noise to pinpoint where it originated. Wendy shot him a concerned look; her hearing wasn't quite developed enough to hear it.

He smiled grimly, staring at the stone below him, "There's someone in an awful amount of pain below us, do you want to go help?" It was entirely her choice, but she had been entrusted to him by someone who called himself Jellal, so he had a duty to keep her safe.

He knew she was conflicted, she would want to help, but she didn't want to be a burden, on himself or whoever needed healing. Her face contorted with frustration, and he caught a glimpse of the gap where her sharpened incisors would grow.

"I want to help." He smiled, offering her a hand to pull her up.

"Alright then, this way."

* * *

She was dying.

They could feel it.

Her lungs worked, and her heart beat, but she was dying.

Their whining permeated the room, echoing from where they had curled around her.

Erza and Gray were sitting listlessly in the corner; having been driven there by the rest of the Draconis. She, Vatra and the Zodiac had tried to get them to let them stay nearby, but they wouldn't listen to a word, perceiving them to be a threat to Ma'am's already failing health.

It was one of the only times she was glad not to have bonded with her yet; it spared her from the feedback loop of agonized misery.

Natsu suddenly sits up onto his haunches, focus locked onto one of the passageways behind him. His sudden movement dislodges Vatra, and his arm absently snaps out to stop her from falling off his shoulders.

It catches Saol's attention next, then Amanzi, Cobra, and Lura. She stares at the tunnel, trying to identify what they'd noticed. She hears it a few moments later; two pairs of footsteps and the low murmur of conversation.

Natsu drops back down to his hands, slowly inching towards the two newcomers, before he abruptly brightens up, bounding forward and letting out yips. The others must understand what he's saying because they start running around in excitement and Lura drops the wall blocking the passage.

He circles the two as they enter, nudging them towards her prone summoner. The child must get the hint because she sprints forward, and drops down to her knees in the space Taurus had vacated, right next to the shards of ice that were sticking out of her back.

She hovers her hands over the most prominent injury; the one that was right over her heart. "What are the shards' compositions? Someone tell me now, or she's going to die."

Gray lurches forward, "Iced Shell, dispelled by Moon Drip."

The girl curses loudly, and she can see Erza sharing a slightly disturbed look with Gray about the number of swears that are tearing their way out of her mouth.

Abruptly, the swearing halts and she calls out to her silver-haired companion as she methodically takes stock of the rest of Ma'am's wounds. As he drops down beside her, she only glances up briefly before returning her attention to her task.

"Iced Shell is used only as a last resort; it uses the mage's life to create the ice and leeches the life force from whatever its imprisoned and slowly reduces it to nothing but a husk. And in combination with Moon Drip, which nullifies any form of magic, it's acting as a poison that is destroying her systems, core and organs. I need you to pull each of these out as carefully as you can, starting with this one." She briefly gestures to the one over her heart and goes back to scanning the rest of her summoner.

As the man – Mesec – slowly pulls out the shards one by one, he asks, "Why didn't anyone else do this before?"

They all bristle at the slight, but before anyone could get a word out, she cuts in with cold professionalism. "The humans would've suffered the same symptoms as her and the spirits would've dispelled before they could get one out and would've caused more damage when the force pulling out the shard suddenly disappears, and it tears it way out. You, because of your magic, are the only one who can withstand the nullification properties without dispelling. Good enough?"

While the girl talks, she briefly sees a picture of a female who looks like the one healing her summoner, but no longer a child and the resemblance to someone she knows bothers her until she makes the connection. _"Wendy…"_ She whispers.

Wendy's eyes lock onto her for only a moment before refocusing onto her task, but that single moment seemed to last forever; she recognized her.

Before Wendy had disappeared 400 years ago, they had been the best of friends, and despite not being blood-related, they were sisters. She cursed herself for not seeing it sooner, now that she knew, it all seemed painfully obvious; the blue hair, the eyes, and that look on her face when she was healing someone, that was all Wendy.

Mesec pulls away from her summoner, the shards in a haphazard pile next to him. Lura hesitates slightly before lowering the floor underneath the ice and crushes them under layer upon layer of stone.

Now that her summoner is getting medical attention, the giant husk of Deliora draws her attention. She strides over to Gray is; slumped against a wall. "What do you want to do with it?" She jerks her head in Deliora's direction, but she doubts he needed it.

He opens his mouth to speak, but an unknown voice coldly interrupts his answer, " _You_ will do nothing. _I_ , on the other hand, will revive Deliora."

* * *

Agony.

Fear.

Cold.

A never-ending cycle. 

One that was interrupted by a warm hand on her shoulder. Leg. Arm. Hip. Hand. Hair.

There was a warm breeze tickling her back, and she felt the briefest of prickling sensations before it disappeared, leaving her to bask in the warm comfort.

Slowly, she could hear voices. They were starting at the barest of murmurs, before gaining volume.

She knew those voices. But, from where?

Were they some of the maids and butlers…? No, more recent than that.

From her year of travelling to Fairy Tail…? She was close.

Her spirits…? Yes, that sounded right. But which ones…?

Silver? No.

Zodiac? Some of them, but not all.

Draconis? Yes, them too.

Her Spirits; Aquarius, Taurus, Cancer, Saol, Amanzi, Virgo, Lura, Natsu, Erik, Loke, Aurinko, Sagittarius.

But what were they doing? What were they saying?

They were fading. Losing volume. Disappearing. Giving up.

No. Speak up! You can't leave! Why are you going away?!

_Please don't leave me here._

* * *

Queen was in pain.

It was coursing through their connection.

Awful, intense agony that made them all near useless.

Sent them crashing to the ground, unable to move.

They were sure they made a sight, curled in up in a ball and as close to Queen as they could get.

The pain stopped. But Cold replaced it.

Freezing, deathly cold that not even spared Fire.

Made them shiver violently, lashed out with their magic at anyone who came near.

The Cold stopped. But Fear replaced it.

Ghastly, dreadful Fear that stopped them in their tracks.

Pain.

Cold.

Fear.

Over and over again.

Never ending. Never starting. Always _there._

Looping and looping and looping.

Poison managed to lay a hand on Queen's shoulder, lessening the cycle.

Earth laid her palm of Queen's leg.

_It was warmer now._

Water on her arm.

_They could feel._

Sun moved from where she stood over by Ice, Space and TinyFire, and hesitantly placed a hand on her hip, like she didn't know if she could. He huffed, sometimes her lack of a connection made things so much harder than they should be.

_There was no fear anymore._

Fire slinked forward from where he was curled around him, grasping her hand tightly.

_No cold._

He maneuvered his way around his packmates, before dropping and starting to run a hand through her hair.

_No pain._

Queen shot up into a sitting position, heaving breaths escaping from her mouth. They all jumped back at the unexpected movement but just as quickly surged forward to offer support and comfort.

Sky shouldered her way past Poison and Water, with Moon following, but keeping his distance. They attempted to keep her away and succeeded for a little, but Fire asked them to let her through. He said she felt familiar, said she wouldn't hurt Queen.

He turned his head towards her childlike form, studying her core for any hint of malicious intentions. He found none, and when he consulted Earth, he found she didn't find any either. The three of them parted for Sky, the rest following after a moment, making a pathway leading straight to Queen.

She hovered her palms over Queen's injuries, before cutting off the light blue glow surrounding them. She sighed, "I'm sorry I can't do more, but until I regenerate my core, you, as her spirits, will have to look after her."

Moon continued, "She needs sleep, fluids and to be kept warm. If she gets hungry, she can have small things, but nothing heavy." He pointed his finger at Fire, "You," then at Sun, "and you, have the most important job. She cannot get cold, if she does, the remainder of whatever was in her system will attack her again, and she won't survive. I don't care if she complains about being hot, even if she orders you to stop, you must not."

Space spoke up from across the cavern, "And what will you do in the meantime?" He could see him bristle at the accusation, but he pushed it aside while he got ready to leave.

" _I_ will deal with your little problem's subordinates. Deliora reviving would not be good for her or my ward's health." He turned to Earth and Poison, "Do you mind coming along?"

Earth glanced over to where he was running a hand through Queen's hair, asking if he wanted to join them. He let his gaze drift over to where Fire and Sun were keeping Queen warm and Water was offering comfort. Water nodded at him, and he pushed himself up off the ground, stretching as he readied himself for the run.

Moon dropped down onto his hands, streaking off towards another passageway as soon as he was ready. The path narrowed for a few feet before opening up into another cavern, with a single thin, steep trail that circled the edges and stretched up to the summit - which would be so much easier than trying to climb the almost sheer sides of the mountain this high up.

Moon stops abruptly at the exit, just out of sight of whoever would be at the summit. He pushes himself back up, balancing on the balls of his feet before pulling magic to the tips of his index fingers, completing complex rune barriers within minutes.

He pulls back to observe his work before shooting forward, becoming no more than a silver and grey blur as he twists through the air to slap his traps on the impending threats.

As they moved to the centre, Poison was getting increasingly more anxious, jumping at every little thing around them. Earth shared a look with him before they bounded up to flank his sides. They bumped against him when he jumped again, and he shot them a grateful look.

He could feel Moon's focus on them as he paused to let them catch up, but as they approached, he started to shout something, collapsing before anything came out.

Poison goes to leap in front of them, but crumples before he can leave the ground, Earth steps forward to help, but she collapses as well. Earth and Poison's forms start wavering, flickering between transparent and stable, he switches his attention onto the two before him, and a bright blue wave skims across the ground, heading towards his packmates.

A ripple of magic flooding their bond lets him know Queen is alright, and he pushes himself up from his bent-over position. As he straightens, the light haze of instincts disappears, and his mind whirs into action. He makes plan after plan, but he discards them just as fast as he discerns new information about his two opponents.

Vines burst from the ground in front of them, shielding them from the magic. His attention fixes onto him, and his giant eyebrows furrow into a scowl. "Toby, attack him."

Toby – who looks disturbingly like a dog – leans down and launches forward, hands outstretched to catch himself and run on all fours. Unfortunately, Toby's focus is on retorting, "I'm not an animal!" and not his landing, so he misjudges, faceplanting onto his hands and tumbling over himself to stop before him, laid out spread-eagle on his back, seemingly unconscious.

He hesitantly reaches out to poke at his head, but the dog-man doesn't twitch. His partner rolls his eyes and scoffs, arrogantly sliding one of his hands into his pockets and slouches; dismissing him as a threat.

Crouching down on his toes, he carefully plants his hands onto the ground, watching the man for any hint of him attacking. He's acutely aware there's no one to support him - though he's no slouch in the attacking department - but he knows that trapping and restraining opponents is more his niche.

Luckily, the mage seems to have underestimated him entirely, and so he makes a show of panicking, all the while spreading his magic underground, setting up his trap.

The man raises the hand he had left hanging by his side and slices it through the air in front of him, leaving a bright blue trail that shoots downwards before levelling out a foot off the ground.

He flings himself back and, pretending to mess up the landing, scrambles out of the path of the wave, pulling his foot back at the last minute. He directs his focus downwards, tracking the progress of his traps; almost complete, only needing him to keep in contact with the ground for another minute.

Eyebrows twitches, confused at his apparent incompetence. He sent out another blue wave, this one bigger than the last, streaking towards his head. He pathetically flops onto his stomach to dodge, the wave missing by a hair's breadth. His opponent twitches again, more violently, and his eyebrows furrow deeper in frustration.

He rechecks the progress; 22 seconds left.

The mage pulls his other hand out of his pocket, sweeping them both through the air to send two waves of magic at him.

He dodges and frantically sends a single vine out to attack him.

18 seconds.

Eyebrows tilts his head to the side, making the plant miss by a fraction.

Planting both hands on the ground, he sends out a wave of vines. Eyebrows scoffs and holds a palm out, making a shield that stops them in their tracks, and they droop limply as the magic controlling them is dispersed.

11 seconds.

He analyses the shield, making possible counters and strategies to get past it before it disappears.

7 seconds.

More waves fly out from his hands.

5 seconds.

He dodges, subtly moving backwards; out of his trap's range.

3 seconds.

He plants his hands, ready to unleash his vines as soon as it was ready.

2.

His façade slips off, leaving only cold analysis.

1.

The area around him illuminates as his tattoo's glow a bright, unearthly green.

0.

_Life Dragon's Circle Entrapment._

As his vines shoot through the ground, small flowers and plants slowly sprout around him, a side effect of using one of his more powerful spells.

Eyebrows jerks his hands up, attempting to block the incoming vines, but it ends up being in vain, his vines only twisted around the shields, streaming through the gaps in his defence.

Bound completely in his vines, he wouldn't be able to move a muscle, let alone escape. He allows himself to relax, but the crunching of stone underfoot alerts him to the presences behind him. 

He jumps; not expecting the three of them to have recovered - or in Mesec's case, reclimbed the mountain - so fast.

Lura and Cobra give him amused - and slightly feral, he wouldn't be living _that_ down - smirks from where they'd been leaning against the mountainside with Mesec.

Mesec steps forward, sticking out a hand. "Mesec, nice to meet you."

He shakes it, flushing with embarrassment as he realizes his first impression of him was a feral animal. "Saol, likewise."


	31. Ice and Fire

They were miserable, all three of them.

The bombers of Unicorn Bone had no respect for anything, not even themselves. They'd slop around in their nightclothes at any hour of the day, pass out in the early hours of the morning – drunk as a skunk – and start again when they woke up. And they left empty mugs, packaging, and dirty dishes all over the floor for their slaves to pick up, Yukino especially.

Thankfully, because they were up on the market, they were treated better – even if it was only marginally. But as a direct consequence, the other people in their possession would do what they didn't, so they helped out as much as they could.

She'd overheard one of the member's conversations with the Guild Master, and had found the answer to one of the questions she had been asking since she was old enough to think; "What am I?"

Over her eight years of living, she had only twice found someone who looked like her; the first time was when she had met her partner, and the second was when they had passed by the child and their relative in their haste to escape their pursuers.

They were Exceeds, and there were only about 100 – including them – running about, which made them highly valuable – if only because they were the only other species on Earthland who had intelligence, could speak like a human, and could use magic.

While she mused, Yukino was tripped by one of the Death Spiral members, causing her to spill beer all over the floor, as an excuse to punish her.

Her partner caught her eye - they had what they came for, only staying to help Yukino - and it was time to leave.

She made her way over to a pile of food that had tipped off their Guild Leader's plate – piled as high as she was tall – where he was sitting by the entrance. No one made a fuss at how close she was to the cave mouth, they had gotten complacent over the year they'd been captured, and she readied her magic as her partner spoke to Yukino in soft tones, making sure she was okay to leave.

She matched the nod he sent her, and in a flutter of feathers, darted over to Yukino, latched onto her shoulder, and shot out of the cave.

They couldn't maintain this speed for long, not with how little nutrients and exercise they'd gotten, but it would be enough to get them far away.

It had to be.

* * *

_Now that her summoner is getting medical attention, the giant husk of Deliora unwillingly draws her attention. She strides over to where Gray's slumped against a wall. "What do you want to do with it?" She jerks her head in its direction, but she doubts he needed it._

_He opens his mouth to speak, but an unknown voice coldly interrupts his answer, "_ You _will do nothing._ I, _on the other hand, will revive Deliora."_

As Gray lurches past her, a noise of confusion escapes her and she goes to follow him into battle but stops when he swings an arm out to the side. "No, this is my fight."

She nods and makes her way over to where Natsu was making sure their summoner didn't get the slightest bit cold.

She hears Gray shout one of his spells, and ice lances form above his head, heaving forwards towards his masked opponent. The masked man casually waves a hand in front of him, making eagles out of ice to collide with Gray's lances.

Gray growls, low and guttural and it's not quite the same as theirs, more, Demonic, than Draconic. It doesn't last long; human throats can't make those kinds of noises, but it's there, and it appears she's the only one who noticed. She makes a note in her head to see if his family has a record of any Slayer Magic users; he could be a potential host, no, not could be, he was.

" _Lyon_ ," Gray snarls, and it catches Natsu's attention, one of his long ears twitching in Gray's direction and he briefly pops his head up from where they were looking after their summoner.

"Do you realize what you're _doing_?! You're _destroying_ Ur's sacrifice! She gave her _life_ to imprison Deliora, and you want to, what? Prove you're better than her? Do you know how _crazy_ that sounds?! And I have a teammate who's basically immortal!"

Ice shoots up from underneath Lyon, and he flips out of the way to slam one hand against the ground as he yells, "Ice Make: Geyser!"

Gray has to launch himself at the ground to avoid the icicle trying to impale him, and he yelps as a giant foot comes crashing down where his head was. Lyon sneers from atop his ape, "I'm not destroying anything. Or did you forget? You're the one who killed Ur!"

As Gray sweeps his hand across the ground, the ice breaks through the stone as it races towards Lyon. " _You don't get to say her name!"_

Lyon matches his attack, and his slightly greener ice collides with Gray's with an explosion of fine shards of ice, looking more like snow.

She turns away from their battle, refocusing her attention on her summoner, who's getting colder by the minute. Natsu growls softly, raising the temperature of his flames. The stone under them is sizzling, and the air around them is visibly heated, causing their vision to distort. She can barely see that Erza, Vatra and Wendy have moved closer to Gray and Lyon's fight, where it's colder.

Wendy hesitantly walks over to them and whips the air around them into a dome of wind, where the heat around them won't escape into their surroundings. Almost immediately, the temperature rises, even though they aren't as hot anymore.

Abruptly, Lucy leaps up from the stone and into a crouch, wobbling a little before she topples over.

* * *

The first thing she registers when she wakes is fear. It's not coming from her, but from the two beside her – Rin and Natsu – and the three further outwards – Erza, Vatra and someone else.

The second thing she registers is pain. This time it _is_ coming from her, her back and arms specifically. It feels like someone took Taurus's axe and sliced them to ribbons.

The third is the hindbrain that won't shut up, demanding she does something about how far the rest of her spirits are away from her. She pushes out a ripple of magic through their bond, calming the instincts that pervaded her and her spirit's minds.

She shoves herself into a crouch, but her balance isn't the greatest, so she ends up flopping onto her face. She attempts to push herself up again – even if standing isn't possible, she should at least be able to remove her face from the floor – but her arms are refusing to work, and the only thing she achieves is a groan.

Thankfully, her griping attracts the attention of Erza, who ushers over Vatra and a blue-haired spirit when a stray spike of ice gets too close for comfort to the trio. It also snaps Rin and Natsu out of whatever kind of trance they were in, and they lurch forward to help her up.

Luckily, people are fantastic, and they help her lean against one of the cavern walls. As soon as she's settled, the unknown spirit approaches her – and her hindbrain isn't as calmed as she thought, because she snarls when the spirit gets too close.

She shakes her head and smiles apologetically as she sends out another pulse of magic to calm it. The spirit kneels next to her, and her hands light up with blue winds that tickle as they pass over her wounds.

Natsu accidentally knocks her shoulder with his elbow as he sits next to her, and it draws a sharp hiss. He jerks away from her with a fearful look on his face – like he's afraid he's broken her – and she narrows her eyes.

Carefully taking in the expressions of the people around her, and how they interact with her, she discovers they're all afraid, afraid she's going to shatter like glass at the slightest touch, and it pisses her off.

Erza holds Vatra back, scolding her when she gets too rowdy. Natsu and Rin skitter around her, out of touching range, and they don't raise their voice any higher than slightly above a whisper. Thankfully, Gray is too absorbed in his fight to notice their commotion, but she knows he'll mimic Rin and Natsu; not coming close, for fear she'll break.

The blue-haired spirit – Wendy, as she introduced herself as – pulls back from her scanning, and breathes a sigh of relief, announcing, "You're nearly completely healed, only a couple more sessions when I get my magic back, and you'll be at a hundred percent. So, it'll be about a couple of hours."

As soon as the way is clear, Vatra launches herself at her, smashing face-first into her stomach. Erza jolts forwards to snatch the red-head off her, but she quickly wraps her arms around her and sends a vicious look at the Requip mage, promising pain if she were to take another step. Natsu and Rin make to try and take Vatra off her, so she directs her glare at them too. " _I. Am not. Made. Of. Glass._ Do not treat me as such."

Wendy clicks her tongue, "I just said I'd nearly healed her wounds, nowhere in my instructions did I say treat her like she's a helpless child who doesn't know any better. Can you not see it's only pissing her off?" She rounds on Lucy, "And you. Did I say antagonize your wounds? No? Then why are you _moving_?"

For a moment, there's an adult behind her tone, and she realizes Wendy was not a child at all, but an adult stuck inside one.

She can see Natsu and Erza visibly shudder, likely getting flashbacks to Porlyusica's version of treating people, and she makes a note never to introduce the two.

Rin flings herself at the floor to dodge a flying Gray, and his opponent is sneering from atop an ice dragon. Gray collides with the wall with enough force it shakes the cavern. As he falls out of his crater and flops onto the floor – seemingly unconscious – he swipes his hand underneath him, hidden from his very nearly naked opponent, activating a last-minute spell.

Nothing happens for a few moments, but soon enough, his skin fades to white, and he melts into nothingness. Another Gray emerges from behind one of the numerous icicles sticking up from the floor, pressing his hand to wound on his side as it drips with blood.

Before his opponent could say anything, the roar of an immense magic spell echoed throughout the cavern. And out of the corner of her eye, Deliora _moved_.

* * *

Saol was having _so much fun_.

Lura was bubbly and friendly, but she also had a hidden penchant for chaos. Cobra's penchant for chaos was very much _not_ hidden. So, when you stick the two together, naturally, you get a disaster.

And then when you add Mesec to the mix – who very obviously had _no idea_ what was going on – the disaster suddenly becomes ten times worse.

And having a giant, flying blue rat on top, well, it sure makes for some exciting entertainment.

He can immediately tell when Cobra has spotted the giant blue rat because he starts to cackle, and then he sees him fly past his vision, hop onto the back of Mesec – who lets out a very undignified squawk – and then-

-Then Cobra flings himself off the mountain, not at all fearing death.

As soon as Mesec notices Cobra's form as it hangs off one of the rat's claws, he crumples, his face as white as a sheet.

Cobra finally stops laughing like a madman and scales the rat's leg, ducking around the other side when its passenger; a bright pink-haired woman, leans over the side to investigate his cackling.

Lura flops down next to the shell-shocked spirit, getting herself comfortable for the sure-to-be-hilarious fight.

* * *

She found Happy asleep in the Guild's basement after he'd made like Mystogan and disappeared for hours again. Tear-tracks were running down the side of his face as he whimpered behind a pile of books, seeking solace in the undisturbed quiet of the Library.

Scooping the still distraught exceed into her arms, she carefully carried him through the town – Jet and Droy flanking her – and into her apartment in Fairy Hills. She'd had to do some fancy footwork and stealth to get there – the matron was _not_ fond of cats _or_ males – but she had managed it.

Her apartment was quickly becoming a safe-haven of sorts for him – his house with Natsu, and Lucy's apartment brought up only misery for him. And he couldn't stay in the Guild for long; everywhere he looked, reminded him of Natsu, or Lucy.


	32. Aim for the Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- and if you fall, you'll reach the Moon.

It wasn't the craziest idea he'd had so far, but it was close. Very, _very_ close.

Now, typically, one has a voice in the back of their head that tells them _not_ to do things. _He_ has a voice in the back of his head that tells him to _do_ the things people really shouldn't do.

Most would argue that jumping off a very tall mountain to hang off a flying giant blue rats' leg is a Very Bad Idea™. The voice in Erik's head wouldn't argue that. It would encourage it.

So, that's where he found himself now, laughing his stupid head off while panicking on the inside as he clutched at the beast's fur with one hand.

He hauled himself up, scuttling up the rat's leg – pulling out handfuls of fur as he went – and attempted to shut his stupid mouth so he wouldn't alert whoever was riding it.

A flash of pink caught his eye, and he raced around to the other side of the leg before they could spot him.

While he was panicking, he had missed the very obvious bucket of poison that the rat was carrying and that he was now hanging over. It wouldn't affect him of course, but if he squinted, he could see the village of demonic humans that Lucy had been contracted by, and dumping it would ruin their crops.

Lowering himself a little, he dipped in a finger, bringing it up to his mouth to taste it. Almost immediately, he spat it out, disgusted at the flavour. He hissed to himself, " _Why_ , would anybody make a _poison_ taste like _cotton candy_?!"

Above him, a female voice called out, "I heard you! Come out, or I'll dump the poison on the village, with you in it!"

He rolled his eyes but dutifully climbed his way up the leg. Once he flipped up onto its back, he asks, "Well? Now what? Are you just going to stand there?" It always amused him, that no matter what happened, all of his internal panicking would never show through his voice. He did have to pay attention to his facial expressions and body language, though.

His words never failed to provoke some type of reaction out of his opponents, so he snickered when she charged at him blindly, but he did wonder why she wasn't using her magic. Maybe she had to touch him?

With that thought in mind, he stepped out of the way of a sloppy punch and latched onto her wrist, snapping it behind her back so she couldn't touch him with it.

Now, he knew he was a bit of an idiot at times, but he didn't usually recognize it until it was over, thus why only one thought went through his mind when the woman suddenly smiled; ' _Ah, I've fucked up.'_

Thankfully, even though the woman had taken control of him, it wouldn't last long; his bond with Lucy was already weakening its hold on him. But for now, he had to sit tight and silently work on escaping.

_S̵̩͔̃î̴͕̣͆t̵̲́,̶̘̀ ̸͈̚ẃ̴͚̥ą̶̏̾i̶̠̒͆t̸̥̅ ̶̧̲̍̽á̴͈n̶̺̔̎d̷̟̤̒ ̶̟͈̓͆d̸̢͇̍ȍ̶͚̺n̵͉̰̅'̸̢̬̓t̷̠̽̒ ̸̙̞͊ș̶̒p̸̹̋̎é̸̬̽a̴̻͑k̷̻̑.̷̪͍̋͝ ̷̧͎D̸̬̔͝o̴̻͖̾ ̶̩̈́͘n̵̖̿͗o̵͓͔͊̕t̴̢̜́̃ ̵̗̝̐a̵̜̯̓ẗ̶̛́ͅṱ̸͐̉e̴͚̰̅m̷̭̾p̴̡̻̃t̸̼̿ ̴̠͗t̵̠̳́ö̷̢̭́̚ ̵̧̑͝f̵̲̏r̸̠̐e̶͊͜ě̸̩ ̶̢̦̓̐ỷ̶̡̘o̶̰̳͐̏ų̷͊̃r̵̤̦̿̚ș̵̛̭̚ê̴̠͖̚l̴̘̿f̴̥̏.̴̢̔_

Well, it wouldn't matter if he couldn't try and escape, their bond would free him in due time. And anyway, even if he didn't know what it was, her kind of magic worked longer on things that didn't have a conscious; there was no will for her to contest with. And it would be even shorter on him; there _was_ a reason it took more magic to summon one of them than a Zodiac.

The village was approaching fast, and he couldn't even see the other three anymore – not that he could turn his head to look. He started panicking; he didn't know if he'd be free before they reached it. Lucy responded to his mental flailing, pushing more magic through the bond in an attempt to break it faster.

_S̸̳̥̓t̷͓͛a̸̟̻̐̐ṋ̵͑̓d̵̟͈̑̕ ̸̨̹̒a̸̞̺̐̋n̴̮͕͐̌d̸̯̣͋͛ ̵̥̿̕m̴̬̑a̷̟͈̚͝k̴̻͆̈́ë̸̛̜́ ̴̥͎̊y̴̫̓o̸̜͛ͅu̷̟̐r̸̫̚ ̸̲̈́͒w̴̙̿͝â̵̲̐ŷ̷̪̽ ̶͍͊̈́ͅd̴͍̊o̶͎̿̓ẇ̵̫̠n̴̫̘̓ ̷̞̫̎t̴̖͍͆o̵̘̅͝ ̵̞͒̓t̶̻͙͗h̴͔͕͂e̸̯͛͌ ̴̣͗b̸͓͌u̵̘͒̕c̶̣͙̾̕k̵̤͒e̷͚͈̓t̶͓̍̋ ̷̦̘͛o̶̤̩͑f̸̣̾͝ ̷̨̱̓̌p̶̆̅ͅo̵̜͋ì̴̗͘s̸̻̺̏͠ö̴̘́̚n̸͎̳͒͝.̵̼̱͛͘ ̴̖̱̋W̵̠̄̋a̸͓͝i̷͕̠̔̊ẗ̵̡́̂ ̴̰̄͜f̷̗̀ọ̸̣̊r̶̲͑͜ ̸̹̱̈́f̴̫͙͗ù̶̳r̷̛̰̜̆ť̴̜͎h̶̦̖̄e̵̡͎͝r̶̻̊͌ ̴̫͌i̴̢̪̓̒n̶̥͗s̸̰͑̕ṫ̸͉͝r̸̲̘̐̐u̸̬̭̇̽ċ̴͙t̸̟͙͊͝ǐ̸̤͝o̶̖̬͌ñ̴͍̦̉s̶̢͔͝.̷̮̳̿̊_

Once he was clinging to the rat's leg, and more importantly, out of his puppeteer's line of sight, he slowly forced his body to bend down, utilizing the already weakened hold her magic had on him. He pushed his hand down, and scooped up some of the jelly-like poison.

As soon as he had swallowed it, he forced himself not to throw up and tossed another handful into his mouth. He could already feel the effects; his magic reserves gained a boost, further weakening the hold she had on him, and his limbs would obey him now.

One after another he shovelled handfuls of the jelly into his mouth, pushing down the instinctive gagging; he could not afford for it to come up again, not with how strong it would be after it'd combined with his stomach acid. The little bit he'd spat out before had already eaten holes in the bucket, and that was just with his saliva.

With his hand over his mouth to stop himself from spitting out what remained on his tongue, he smiled; he'd eaten through the whole thing in the time it'd taken for them to reach the village, but now, he desperately needed somewhere to put all the extra magic.

The jelly had tasted foul, but that didn't stop it from being strong enough to melt through steel with ease, let alone flesh and bone. And as such, it'd given a much more substantial boost than he'd thought it would.

He doubted he could pour it into something, so he'd have to find something to attack. But what? Mesec wasn't with him so he couldn't scream it at a couple of his barriers with a roar, and Lura was with Mesec so he also couldn't roar it underground. And he couldn't attack someone living; he didn't want to kill anybody thank-you-very-much.

Oh well, he'll have to explode then, killing everything in the vicinity. No, he couldn't do that. What else...? It hit him a few moments later; he could attack the sky!

If Lucy saw the roar, she'd know it was him, and their opponents would be momentarily distracted, it was a win/win for everybody.

(Unfortunately, he forgot about the citizens of Galuna Island, and further outwards, the residents of Hargeon.)

* * *

Those Fairy Tail mages had left a couple of days ago to 'explore' they said, 'they'd be back soon' they said, 'don't worry' they said. Of course, she was going to worry; their lives were on the line! They'd run out of their stores eventually, and they couldn't just go to the mainland, they had demon limbs!

But, she had to go about her day, lest she had to give up her rations. If you don't work, you don't get fed, that was their way of living. But she certainly didn't include a truly massive revolving black and red beam shoot up from the ground, nor the earth-shaking roar that had them covering their ears in her day.

Her neighbours thought it was an evil god expressing it's anger, but she thought it sounded more like a demon, or maybe even a dragon – if they existed. Regardless, there was now a statue being built in the middle the town centre, depicting a strange mix of a demon, a dragon and a faceless human – which must be the god part of the equation.

She'd never believed in demons, gods or dragons. Well, not before her leg turned into some giant chicken-thing, and she grew horns, but she still didn't believe the god and dragon bit.

The whole thing looked strange, but there was an undeniable aura of _something_ surrounding it, so even she only whispered when she came near it.

* * *

She didn't understand why there wasn't more of a commotion. There was a giant black and red beam coming from way out in the ocean! She was sure she looked like a madman, madwoman, fanatic, whatever, she looked crazy, but why weren't they at least looking into it? Were these types of things common around here?

Finally spotting a group of Rune Knights loading onto a boat, she skidded to a halt next to one, "Are you," She took a deep breath in, "Are you going to investigate that?"

The one she was closest to gave her a strange look, "And why do you want to know? Are you involved with it? Are you planning on delaying us so your accomplices can escape? Are you here to kill us, so we don't follow you and your friends? Are you going to kill us then as many citizens as you can so information doesn't get out? Are you just going to kill everybody for shits and giggles? Are you–" Another Rune Knights' stave abruptly sweeps over to hit her over the head, ending her tirade of accusatory questions. The knight in question bows to her. "Please excuse my subordinates rudeness, it was _unnecessary_ , and it won't happen again." He glares at the knight, then gives her an apologetic smile. "Unfortunately, she brings up some good points, and we now have to take you into custody."

Two other knights come up beside her and escort her to the Magic 4-Wheeler behind them.

As they drove away, she wailed, "I didn't do anything!"

* * *

Of course, he'd forgotten that he was still on the leg of the giant rat, and as such had rendered a rather large hole in its side. Well, large compared to him that was, he was sure it only felt like a bullet wound to it, or maybe even a stab from a sword. He shrugged, who knew, he sure didn't.

But anyway, he'd forced it to drop down to the ground, letting the bucket – with him attached – escape its grasp as it screeched in pain.

His collision with the ground hurt. A lot. But that didn't matter because he was free! And he had saved the village! All by himself!

Although, now he was stuck in the forest, completely lost, and he didn't have a lick of a sense of direction. He didn't even know what general direction the village was in, so he was forced to follow the faint tugging in his core that lead to Lucy.

Or at least, that's what his plan was before he'd been very rudely interrupted by the same pink-haired woman who took control of him. Unfortunately, the area had thousands of things she could make dolls without her touching them, so he was forced to fling himself behind a tree when a rock puppet lunged at him.

He'd said it before; he was a bit of an idiot at times; so he'd forgotten that she could take control of things, and was hurled away by the very same tree he was hiding behind.

He frowned; he hadn't had nearly this much trouble against her before, but that was of course, up in the air, on a small platform, and there was nothing around them that she could use against him. You couldn't very well make cloud puppets.

He had noticed before – when he still contained the energy from the jelly – that his tattoos were glowing, and while he knew, vaguely, that they linked to his systems, it had never really hit him until just then. Not until a rock puppet had punched him in the face that is.

The voice in his head was screaming at him now – forgoing the insistent nudging it usually used. Most of it was unintelligible, but he could make out a word or two.

_FLY! You stupid– F– USE– WINGS!_ Ah. It could tell when he was listening. But he supposed it was right. If using his magic – or perhaps a sudden influx of energy – lit up the tattoos. And while Lucy was in Dvasia they sprouted limbs then if he could channel enough magic into the specific point where his wings formed, he could manifest them without having to go slightly insane.

And he knew trying new techniques in the middle of a battle was what got you killed, but he supposed he wasn't really worried about it. And if it didn't work, well, he'd cross that bridge when it came to it. It's not like he _could_ die, anyways.

Channelling his magic to his back wasn't all that hard, and while he couldn't see the tattoos in that area he knew they were glowing – the ones on the top of his arms were fading from a bright glimmer to the lifeless purple and gold they were usually, further down by his hands.

He could feel the magic gathering in different spots on his back, just sitting there, straining to do _something_.

So he let it. He stopped trying to force it, just let it gather and form whatever it wanted. It was disappointing when the magic disappeared back into his systems, and he was about to stop running away and attempt to fight the woman, but abruptly, his world _sharpened._

It was like the whole world narrowed down to a point, slowing everything down – discarding everything that wasn't necessary – and it felt similar to when his hindbrain took over, but this time, _he_ was in control.

His wings snapped out, and he could feel the sensations around them like they were real; the air as he cut through it, the slight pain when the rock puppet's fist clipped the edge, how every little bubble of golden poison tickled as it popped.

He slid around an incoming punch, gradually slinking forward to the puppeteer. She was getting increasingly frantic, and each of her puppets movements reflected it; what was once smooth attacks – if slightly robotic – were now jarring and hesitant. She was losing control.

As he passed a puppet, she would let go of her hold on it, turning it back into a regular tree or collection of boulders, and strengthening the ones she had left. But she was running out, progressively losing her defences, one by one. And what could strength do when no attacks could connect?

She started to retreat, heading backwards to put more puppets between them, but she backed into something, a sizeable, sheer, cliff wall. Her eyes shot up to meet his, panic evident before determination replaced it.

He could respect that – going down fighting, even against a stronger opponent. Perhaps that's why he had grudgingly grown fond of Fairy Tail. He shook his head; now was not the time.

His world was still in slow motion, but even he could see that she wasn't particularly fast anyways. With a heavy downbeat of his wings, he launched himself forward, moving fast enough that it was only a matter of moments before he was in front of her.

He paused, hovering before her like some sort of demented angel, he was sure he looked like it too; purple slit-pupil eyes, gold and purple wings, lengthened canines and nails, pointed ears. But, now that he thought about it, he probably looked like a demon instead.

She charged forward, being purposely sloppy in her attacks. But Erik knew now; he wasn't touching anything, no matter how tempting of a weak-spot it was. Instead, he whirled around and batted her with a wing into a tree that had a hole punched through it – probably from a rock puppet.

He waited to see if she would get up from her slumped position against the tree, but she didn't stir, so he let his wings dissipate and dropped onto the ground. He sighed, if he had taken any longer, it could've gotten dangerous for his reserves.

He wanted to leave, but something was telling him to stay – it was probably the voice – to find something _important_ , something he couldn't go without retrieving.

A flash of silver caught his eye, and he moved closer to the unconscious body of the puppeteer, searching for the hint of silver. He finally spotted it in a hidden pocket on her dress; a key, and one of theirs at that. Snatching the key away from the woman, he brought it up to his eye so he could identify it. He smiled; it was the Sky Draconis'.

Lucy was to the left of him, and luckily, he had fought in the right direction, so he was closer than before, but he still had quite a bit to go. He resigned himself to walking – he wouldn't be able to use the wing trick until his magic regenerated – and he let the pulling in his core guide him to Lucy.


	33. The Demon of Destruction

Their magic was overwhelming.

_Let me Free…_

Slowly consuming her mind,   
changing her into something   
… _different._

_LEt mE FrEE…_

She was losing her sense of self.

 **_L_** _eT M_ **_e fREe…_ **

But she had to listen.

 **_L_** ET M **E FR** E **E.**

 _HE_ was demanding it.

**LET ME FREE.**

SHE HAD TO FREE HIM.

**_̶̢̨̛̬͍̰̘͍͋͐͗̾̅̽̚̕Į̸̞͉͈͇̰͙͔͛̆̔̂͑͋̐͂͒̍̾͊ ̵̠̪̼̻͛̓̓̓̋̾̍̅̏͂͒̓͊̽̎M̸̨̨̥͍̮͍͆̇̄̍͘U̵̼̫̲̼̠̙̤̣̮̹͈͈̺̺̦͒̎̓̄̍̍̏͒͑͑S̶̤̰͍̞̩̅̈́̄͐̊̓͒͜T̵̨̨̖̝͉͍̥͗̾̽̊̃̈́̃͑̅͘ͅ ̴̛̼̳͈̦̬̤͇̣͉̱͈͉̝̝̍̓͐̊́̊̓͂̇̊̃́͜͝B̴̨̧͇̦͖̠̖͓̩̰̏̌̀̐͛́Ê̶͕̟͖͉͝͝ ̷̫̖̩̤̮̖̳̎̌̽̈́̿̔̌̈́̍͋̓̕͝͝͝ͅF̵̛̣̘̬̦̟̥̟̅̑̓͗͊͊́̂̄̊́R̷̝͎̞͐̊̈́̂̐̍̾̈̕̚E̴̬͙̤͈̔̂̈͆̅̀̀̆̽̓́͒͘̚E̸͚̫͎̻̝͔̙̼̺͋͊͌̃̌̍̄͗͊̌͌̕͜͜͝ͅͅ!̸͚̘̹̙̞͍͕͔̒͗̿_ **

* * *

She picked herself up from where they'd been blasted against the wall, pushing through the almost tangible wall of magic.

It wasn't far now; only a few steps away, but something was stopping her. What was it? Why wasn't she able to free him?

There was a… string? A connection; leading through the wall, to the outside world. But why? What was out there? Was it more important than her task – no, mission? Yes… it _was_ more important… But what was it?

No. Lucy shook her head. It didn't matter, _couldn't_ matter; she had to free him, he couldn't be allowed to stay imprisoned.

People were screaming at her, she couldn't understand them, and when she looked closer, there were more strings, leading to them, so she didn't bother trying.

Her fingers brushed against his prison, and she smiled; she was so close.

The voices weren't as loud anymore, no longer distracting her – whether she was paying attention or not. That was good; they couldn't be allowed to interfere.

Placing her hand directly against the ice, she starts a small trickle of magic, carefully winding it through the convoluted artificial magic systems – running parallel to his also artificial nervous system. She knows he can't feel much, but she's still careful as she wraps it around his broken core, feeling it fill with his own sinister magic.

She can feel his core unconsciously absorbing what was left of her as it fixes itself, slowly draining her of her magic, but she doesn't think she minds; dying to free him doesn't sound so bad.

Her levels were pretty close to dangerous now, so it wouldn't be long until he was back – not at full power, but enough that he could regenerate the rest. Her legs fail her as the drain speeds up, taking more the closer she gets to empty. And while it's not painful, the voices come back, and they're annoying enough to stop her from just basking in his magic while her levels dropped.

She so desperately wants to tell them to shut up, but it would use up the rest of her magic, and she'd much sooner give it all to him. So, she tries to say it out loud, but it only comes out as a breathless whisper, nothing more than the passing of air.

It would only take another minute or so anyway, so she tried not to let it bother her. Less than 60 seconds until Master would be free, and she smiled from her place on the ground, palm still placed firmly against the ice.

The voices have hands now, leaving frozen imprints where they'd touched her. She thinks they've gotten louder, but she can't hear them anyway, so it doesn't matter.

There are suddenly more hands, more ice-covered touches, and they're trying to take her away from him. She scoffs, as long as her magic is winding through both of their systems – artificial or not – her hand won't detach. Move? Yes. But not detach.

"We have to – It's the only – not going to _die_." One voice, right beside her left ear, whispered. Although, by his tone, it sounded like he was yelling.

"A– _crazy!_ We c–! It'll kill her!" Another, this time further down, likely down by her side, whisper yelled.

"She's g– to – anywa–! Woul–ou – definitely die – she have a chance of – with the –." This one, on the other side of her head, wasn't yelling, so it was hard to make out what he'd said. But why was she listening anyway?

Anyway, whatever they were talking about doesn't matter now, the drain would kill her in just a few seconds. The voices seem to notice this, and suddenly, they're forcing a magic transfer.

Agonized screams tear themselves from her lips, – but she can't be sure she has enough energy to say them – and her body convulses with the pain as it leaves her systems shredded from the magic that rips through them.

She snarls, at least if they were _that_ adamant about saving her, they could've been a bit more careful about it; slowly winding through her pathways instead of rushing through to her core like a bull in a china shop. But, she supposed there wasn't enough time for that, considering she was about to _d_ _ie_.

Why _did_ she think that was a good idea anyway? It can't have been her idea; she had… someone… to protect. Who was it?

Searching for her memories only brought her flashes of colour, but the most prominent was red, so it must be of some importance to her. She thinks she can match the voice to her left with green, and the one at her hip as red, and, strangely, the one on the right as well. Maybe that's why it was so strong… She had more than one.

Before she could ponder any more, another wave of magic forced its way through, cauterizing some of the most damaged parts of her already torn systems. Just as it disappears, another rushes through, but it's better this time – if only slightly – leaving small pockets of life-energy as it passes the more damaged bits. Again and again and again, they forced more energy through to her core. Leaving patches of earth-energy, poison, and sun as it travels, slowly fixing the ruined pathways the first bout had left behind.

As the sun-energy passes through, and it fixes the last of the tears, it's all she can do to stay awake. But she holds on, curious as to what happens when they were supporting her core entirely by magic's that weren't hers.

The last of the magic slots into place and her memories come rushing back to her. She rips her hand away from the demon she was reviving, reaching out as the darkness clouding her sight claims her.

The last thing she sees is each of her spirits – both Zodiac and Draconis – sobbing as they rush towards her. (Well, Aquarius wasn't, but she wasn't all that surprised; she had never been one to show affection. She'd get ready for a lecture later.)

* * *

Something was _wrong_.

It seeped into everything; the air, the ground, the ethernano. Unnatural, dark, suffocating _wrongness_ that left them feeling breathless and weak.

Mesec wasn't quite as affected, but even he could feel it; something was amiss.

As they raced down into the depths of the mountain, to the cavern where they'd left the others, the thunderous roar of a lost magic spell shatters the dead-end that'd stopped them. They leap back as boulders come tumbling down, twisting out of the way of numerous near-misses, and as soon as the path opens up, they shoot through.

The wrongness is worse now, blasting through the caves in a shockwave that knocks them onto their asses. He and Lura share a look, and she tears down the section of wall in front of them, while he supports the stone around it, making sure it won't bring it all down.

More walls and dead ends are ripped and shoved out of their way, mostly by Lura's work, but he'd punched quite a few into oblivion. Some countless _secondsminuteshours_ later, Lura freezes and twists to face nearly directly behind her, where something must have entered her sensing range. He extends his magic in the same direction, momentarily sacrificing the awareness of what was around him to find what she had sensed, trusting them both to keep him out of danger.

A bark of laughter is startled out of him when he finds what it was and it almost becomes a giggle, but it's shut down when alarm bells start ringing in his head – and the others' too most likely. He switches his attention to Lucy, immediately fixating on the softly glowing orb of silver that hovered in her chest, and he pales when he finds it getting uncomfortably close to dangerous levels.

He can't seem to stop watching it, seeing it drain faster and faster the closer it gets to empty. Shaking his head to rid himself of the trance he'd gone into, he whirls around to face the other two. "We need to hurry, Princess' magic is being drained, and fast." Lura and Mesec stare at him blankly. "Come on! Go!" He's sure he looks wild, possibly maniac, but if it gets them moving, then he doesn't give a flying fuck.

The next seven walls come down in quick succession, barely pausing to anchor the roots inside the stone before moving on. Finally, the eighth, and hopefully last, is before them.

Each of their faces twists into grim determination, and he and Lura step forward to pull down the barrier between them, and their summoner.

* * *

He's so preoccupied with gathering himself after being smashed into a wall by a tangible wave of magical power; he doesn't even realize that his summoner – _teammate, friend, comrade_ – is pushing herself through the magic until it's almost too late.

She staggers when he calls out to her and looks confused for a moment, trailing her eyes across the floor to gaze past the stone, to outside the mountain, before shaking her head and continuing to push her way through the thick, treacle-like magic.

His desperate yell catches the attention of the others around him; all smashed into the cavern wall in the same vicinity of each other. Vatra calls out hesitantly from Erza's lap, fear and distress leeching from her.

He picks himself up from the floor - steadying himself on the wall when his legs almost fail him - and stumbles his way over to her. As soon as he lets himself collapse next to the red-haired Requip mage, Vatra scrambles off her lap and buries her face into the crook of his neck, trembling.

He can't tell if Rin or Amanzi are in the same state as him - weak, and frantically trying to fight off the invasion of his mind from the demon who had taken his best friend from him - but he suspects they aren't. Even if it was only because they were still unconscious.

Vaguely, he can see a figure just beside Deliora's prison, and he takes a moment to be thankful that even though he's feeling weak, and his limbs won't move, he hadn't lost the enhanced senses that being a Draconis had given him.

To his right, one of the passageways Lura had blocked before she left suddenly crumbles into dust, and no matter how much he wants to, no matter how much desperation he pushes into his limbs, he can't move, can't stop whoever it is from entering.

But before any of them could launch an attack through the dust, something – It could've been his pack bond, or just his gut – tells him to wait, to see who it was first. And even though it sounds like a terrible idea – like it's going to get them all killed – he listens, because there are far too many times that he'd listened to it, and had saved their hides.

Almost immediately, he's glad he did, because fatally injuring one of his siblings-by-circumstance, sounds an awful lot like wanting to die.

Strangely, Cobra – once the dust had cleared, and they could see more than the mop of spiky maroon that was his hair – doesn't seem to be all that bothered by the strange feeling in his chest, if he had it at all.

_(There was a war in his chest, he was sure of it, but both sides felt like him)_

While he'd been distracted, Saol, Lura and Mesec had crashed through the wall a ways away to his left. And it must've been some time ago, seeing as Wendy, Rin, Amanzi and Erza have vanished from their place in the wall.

He knows Saol knows something is wrong – they've been brothers for far too long to hide anything from each other – but he doesn't want him to worry, he has too many other things to worry about, far more significant than the weakness in his limbs.

Something had changed in the air, and the vague figure he'd seen behind the ice crumples before they push themselves off the ground – he thinks they're swaying or wobbling with exertion – and stumble their way away from the ice, disappearing through a fissure in the stone.

Now that the figure is gone, and the grip it had on his focus with it, he's suddenly aware of the loud and attention-grabbing alarm bells ringing in his head, and the hoarse voices of his packmates from desperately trying to bring their summoner back to herself. His head snaps over to where he can feel Lucy, collapsed on the ground and breathing heavily with a satisfied smile on her face.

The oppressive feeling of Deliora's magic is growing more substantial, and with it, the battle raging within himself. He knows he has to get up, to fight, to help, or even to walk, but nothing is cooperating with him, it's like his body isn't even his anymore. But, he's never been one to back down from a challenge, not even from himself, so he's going to force himself to get up and walk if it's the last thing he does.

He yanks his focus away from Lucy's prone form and recasts it to the area around him, and whether or not anything was around him. His lips twitch into a resigned grimace, and he slowly loosens his grip on the tightly wound ball of magic in his chest, letting the excess magic he keeps locked away in his chest leeches through his skin. Almost immediately, the air around him wavers with the heat, and the cold, hollowness that was a constant in his bones vaporizes.

The war between his soul and blood diminishes when the cold disappears, and some of his strength returns. Cautiously lifting an arm, he tests the give and pull of the muscles, and brings it up to grab onto a small ledge just above his head. As soon as he's heaved himself off the ground, he has to support himself on the wall, keeping his trembling legs from bringing him crashing to the ground.

His ears catch onto the sound of footsteps, and he tries to swing his head around to identify them, but the movement destabilizes the hold he had on the wall, as well as the balancing act he was performing with his legs, and he drops.


	34. Ice Prince's Spell

She knows he knows she's behind him, or at least, someone is, judging by the way his long ears twitch, and he whirls around, only to crumple like a wet blanket when his legs fail him. And while she isn't a sensor like Lura or Saol, she still _knows_ the moment he realizes who she is, and the tension – and _fear_ , but she must've been seeing things – bleed out of him.

"Wendy." He croaks, relief saturating his tone as he pushes off the ground to rearrange himself into a more comfortable position. And for all that Wendy looks like a child, she is still an adult – if not in body, then in mind – she still went through more years of training and study than how old she looks, always _knows_ instinctively when one of her own is in pain.

The red-head – Ezra? – carries over the bleeding and limp form of their sides' ice mage from his place on the floor. She casts an appraising eye over the three of them, taking stock of their injuries and arranging them by priority. Thankfully, none of them seemed to be severe, life-threatening or requiring any immediate attention except for the gash and hole his opponent had rendered in his torso.

The ice mage tries to curl up in pain as she pokes and prods at the damage, but the firm hand she and Erza had on his legs and shoulders kept him from moving too much.

Her hands hover over the most significant wound he had; one that cut right over a burn pattern she recognized from Natsu and finished just at the edge of another slice, this one small, and very old. She could feel the strain the healing was putting on her core, having only just regenerated a quarter of her reserves, but she ignored it; the injuries on the people her packmates and their summoner considered almost-family took precedence.

Without her consent, her tongue flicks out to touch the space her left incisor would grow into, a nervous habit she had developed over the last few weeks. Mesec had caught her once, with the tip poking out as she mended the broken ankle of a farmer. He hadn't stopped teasing her for weeks.

She almost manages to stifle the shout of surprise when something sharp stabs it, but a muffled squeak still escapes her and draws the notice of the two currently conscious mages around her. Natsu gives her a knowing and amused smile, flashing half a tooth as he smirks, utterly aware of what happened. Erza stares at them both in confusion for a minute, before she shakes her head and refocuses' on bandaging the minor wounds she and Gray sport.

Very abruptly, Natsu jerks into an upright position, paying no mind to the weakness that he'd previously had – and was possibly still – in his limbs. A stray rock finds its way underneath his foot, and both she and Erza reach out to steady him as he goes down, but he manages to get his legs back underneath him and stumble over to Lucy's prone form.

Returning her attention to the mage under her hands – and away from the agonized screaming – she finished healing the puncture in his side up to where they could bandage it safely and have it heal over the next few weeks naturally.

Each of his injuries was at a level that they would be fine without any more interference on her part, only requiring a few salves and bandages to heal fully. And with great timing too, her levels had returned to low enough that using any more magic would damage her. Sometimes – no, most of the time – she cursed this small body of hers, wishing for the more expansive and stronger core and systems of her adult form.

Healing both Lucy and the ice mage wouldn't have been much of a bother before, and she possibly could've joined her packmates in fighting or protecting, instead of being the one they fought for or protected. It left a bubbling, envious lump in her stomach, one she didn't even want. But when were ever emotions logical?

Lucy's screams were being harder and harder to block out, now that healing wasn't requiring all of her attention, and she risked a glance over to the group of seven, curious about what was happening.

And despite being one of the best healers in this dimension – she didn't want to think about there being no other dimensions for her to be the best in – she didn't recognize the technique they were using, not for at least a few, precious, seconds. But, when she did, it took everything she had left in her, energy, magic, consciousness, to muster the most authoritative tone she could, letting her years – _centuries_ – of herding her less… controlled, siblings, bolster her voice.

She could tell her order made their hackles rise – not as much as they would, had it come from anybody but one of them. But she was not part of their brood, and their instincts would not tolerate a demand from anybody but their summoner – but they did do as she said and stopped just flooding their magic into her systems.

Natsu snarled at her as she approached, but did not make any further moves, possibly recognizing her as someone who could help, or maybe it was just the pack-bond at work. She settled herself a suitable distance that was far enough away that they didn't feel threatened, but also close enough that she could see what they were doing and guide them. Then instructed Amanzi to wind her magic through Lucy's systems, and wrap around her core, repairing what she could.

Cobra, who was closest to her, was steadily inching away, highly uncomfortable with the number of people near him, but also wanting to be close to Lucy.

She could understand the feeling; she was so ready to crash into her bed and just sleep _._

For a _year_.

Just as she finished guiding Lura through to Lucy's core, the ground quaked.

Deliora had awoken.

* * *

Gray had fallen.

Thrown off his high horse by his Ice Dragon's tail.

Left to bleed out in front of all his little friends he called 'Nakama'. How pathetic.

He knew he was gloating; how could he not be? He had defeated Ur's _precious_ pupil. The one she had sacrificed her life to save. _Why couldn't you live? You're no use to us dead._

Now all that was left was to revive Deliora, to prove he had surpassed her in every way. Zalty had done their job, recover the demon enough that it could regenerate its stores by stealing from another mage. That it was the blond 'comrade' of Gray's was just the icing on the cake.

Pity that the pink-haired one and the rest who felt strange had saved her before she died, but now they were all only slightly more than useless, while he had three, uninjured and ready mages behind him.

Speak of the Devil, and they shall appear.

It was fitting, considering he had just been musing about Zalty, and they'd picked this time to glide out from behind an outcrop, hovering just above the ground as they spoke.

"Reitei. Angelica, Toby, Yuka, and now Sherry are all defeated." There's no sugar-coating; they knew he'd only get more pissed off if he thought they saw him weak enough to require it. And they were right, but now more than ever he wished, that once, just once, that things would go his way.

Harsh silence settles over them both, but when he does eventually speak, his tone is colder than the peaks of the ice mountains in Isvan. _"_ _What."_ His magic starts to crystalize around his feet, jagged spikes and crevices shifting and moving as his fury wanes and rises with each passing second.

"It's as I say, Yuka, Tobi, and Sherry and her rat, have been defeated by the various members of the guild before us." They sweep a hand down to Faerie Tale, where they'd bunched together as to keep all of them safe, low on magic as they were. One of them, a male with maroon hair and bubbling purple magic, locks eyes with him and mimics winding up a toy with his right hand, and slowly raises his left middle finger, smiling pleasantly.

He lets the offence slide; being angry at someone who was about to die was only a waste of energy. Seeing as Zalty had returned to his side, and the wall of magic pressure had faded away, Deliora, the demon who had killed his mentor ~~( _parent_ )~~, had been revived. He directed his Ice Dragon upwards, getting far enough away that Deliora couldn't just sweep his hand to the side and obliterate the two of them.

But it wouldn't move, and when he takes another look, he can discern the subtle differences between the blue ice that belongs to Gray – pinning down his Dragon in key spots; making sure it wouldn't be able to move, and _there's_ the symbol of his guild, right in the centre of its forehead, glowing brightly – and his own greener ice.

It takes him a second to recognize the move, but he can't help his flinch when he does. Ice-Make: Hijack; a spell that when the caster has ample time to prepare, can hijack any Maker creation, given that it's not moving. It only works with static Maker types, but there's a dynamic Maker version; Ice-Make: Parasite. Unfortunately, Parasite only works on dynamic creations, but it does have the benefit of not costing as much magic.

Ur had warned them not to use it until they were older and had joined a guild, she'd said to them: _' Promise me you won't even_ attempt _to practice these spells until you're a young adult and you've joined a guild._ Promise _me_. _'_ He and Gray had adhered to that promise, and eventually, the spell had slipped from their minds, but he couldn't believe he'd mastered it, the most advanced magic their teacher had ever even mentioned to them.

He knew why of course, why Ur had warned them, made them _promise_ not to use it until later; the requirements; blood, magic and willpower, far more than they could safely provide at the time, in their child, then teen, bodies. But, no matter which angle he pondered it from, he still couldn't figure out why she'd said to join a guild first. He thought he'd understood a little when he saw Gray and his _precious Nakama_ fight side by side, watching their backs for knives, but the answer still eluded him.

But Gray, Ur's _second_ student _(was he not good enough?)_ had done it first. He doesn't have the time to muse any longer, and he curses his inattentiveness as he jumps away from flying arrows – ice and real – several of them only missing by a hair's breadth.

As soon as the arrows pass by, they dissolve into shards of ice and glittering golden sparks, with the horse-man? following soon after. The maroon haired male and his off-putting friends have disappeared, but that wasn't a concern, given that he has both a demon and several dragons staring him down.

He feels like fainting.

* * *

Since she'd woken, she'd felt like going back to the blissful nothingness of unconsciousness, because really, did the universe not know that having high levels of stress was counter-intuitive to healing wounds? _Especially_ ones as bad as hers?

She'd known she'd be weak for quite a while, even with how much the magic transfer and Wendy had healed her, but did she _actually_ need to fight both a megalomaniac _and_ a demon? Right after nearly dying to revive said demon and being pierced by magic destroying and sealing shards of ice?

Honestly, the demon was the least of her worries; her Draconis could take care of it no sweat, Dragons _were_ more powerful than both Demons and Gods. The problem lay with the one called Reitei and the mysterious pursuer from back when they were still wandering the cave systems.

From here, he can hear him curse Gray's name – do they know each other or something? – and tell someone called Zalty to help him.

She didn't bother to hold back a scoff; he'd need the help.

* * *

Okay, so maybe she'd gotten a bit cocky. The only reason she was keeping up with the two was Wendy, healing and supporting her with what little magic she had left and Mesec making barriers and rune-traps whenever he had the opportunity.

The Draconis drew some magic from the Spirit World and the ethernano around them, yes, but the majority of it came from her, and Zivel only increased that. She'd already had to send back the Zodiac – not without a lecture from both Loke and Aquarius first, and the arrows Sagittarius had fired at Reitei's ugly mug – just to keep her levels at a reasonable amount. 

Meaning just high enough that she wouldn't stagger. Or die.

Zivel upped her magic intake, but it also upped her magic output, so as long as she stayed at this pace, she'd be fine.

* * *

She should've kept her big mouth shut.

Really, she knew the universe was keeping its evil eye on her – what other explanation was there? – and made sure that everything that could go wrong, did.

Murphy's _fucking_ law.

Mesec and Wendy had run their reserves dry, and, as it turns out, fighting a demon is as hard as sounds, _harder_ even.

Zalty – the mage with the magic he called Arc of Time – didn't have much offensive power, preferring to freeze the balls of magic she was throwing out and releasing them right back at her. Reitei, the ice mage – like Gray – used Dynamic Maker-Magic, which meant not only did she have to dodge her own attacks, but also several Dragons, Apes, Tigers and every _other_ thing he could think of too.

She was just about ready to go Fuck It and drop into Dvasia. And she _would_ if her two opponents would _give her the space to_ ** _do so_**.

* * *

Lyon had changed. No longer was he the wide-eyed boy he'd shared a master with, so eager to learn. Now, he was a cold – hah! – unfeeling, bastard.

There was a saying; You could discern everything about your opponent through a fight – or something along those lines – and it was true, he knew all the little facets of his personality, but it was like looking at him through a mirror, everything was… _wrong_.

This was not who he'd grown up with.

This was not who he should've fought.

_This_ was a monster. Someone who'd become the very thing he was trying to defeat.

A monster could not comprehend the meaning of friendship or comrades or family, could only focus on their goal.

A monster did not have to look like one.


	35. Synchronicity (Hiatus)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, I am sorry for the late update, but things in my life aren't going too great at the moment, so, for the foreseeable future, this is going on Hiatus.
> 
> But, what you can do while you wait, is come up with exceeds for Aurinko, Laxus, Saol, Amanzi, Erik/Cobra, Mesec and Lura. I have a couple of ideas, but I'm looking for some reader input. ;)

For all that Dragons are supposed to be stronger than Demons, Dragonslayers are so far outclassed it passed not being funny and dived deep into panicked hysteria.

That’s what’s escaping him now, actually; hysteric giggles as he dodges yet another beam of concentrated magic. Of course, it comes out like maniacal laughter, and his siblings – as well as their friends – are side-eyeing him in concern, but he doesn’t let it bother him; he’s long since gotten used to their stares.

He sprung high into the air – and if he uses his wings for the slimmest of seconds, who’s to know? - narrowly avoiding  _ another _ magic beam – can it not use  _ anything _ else? – and twists around in what he’s sure  _ looks _ like an impressive amount of core control but feels like he’s randomly flailing his arms about and somehow manages to land right.

Once he’s safely on the ground again, he spares a glance at Lucy and the two called Zalty and Reitei’s fight, before he leaps into the air again to dodge a flying Lucy, who’d been flung away by one of her own attacks combined with a punch from an Ice Ape.

She crashes into a wall some ways away to his left, and Saol makes an aborted movement to see if she was okay – having been closest. Vaguely – distorted by the panicked screaming that was his current state of mind – he thinks he can hear her giggle, or maybe snicker under her breath. But before he could attempt to figure out  _ why _ , he has to dodge yet another barrage of magic lasers.

Amanzi’s magic suddenly surges, streaming from her hands to create a vaguely circle-shaped mirror of water, just in time to redirect a particularly powerful laser. Unfortunately, Amanzi hasn’t had the cause to use that specific Secret Art in quite some time, and she loses control of it.

Shearing through the air as it heads right towards him.

Because of course it does.

* * *

She pays no mind to the pain that wracks her body – even if it hurts like  _ fuck _ – and pulls herself out of the crater she’d left in the wall, casually brushing dust and crushed stone of her shoulders like it hadn’t hurt at all. She knows it pisses them both off – and relieves her spirits at the same time – going by the grinding of Reitei’s teeth, and the subtle lines of Zalty’s shoulders as they sharpen with annoyance.

(A lifetime of weathering Aquarius’ irritation, as well as her father’s, well, everything, had left her able to decipher even the smallest of changes to someone’s body language. One always had to know what was happening, because a single, insignificant mistake could kill. It’d happened once already.)

She’d purposely let that opening show, and even if it didn’t achieve much, it would still let her have a moment of reprieve – which was more than enough to drop into Dvasia.

The first time she’d sunk beneath the waves of the sea of her Draconis’ magic, she was so preoccupied with having to fight the people she had thought were her friends, that she hadn’t dwelled on the sheer  _ feeling _ that was flowing through her. It was like she could sense the very fabric of the world, smell and hear everything from the tensing of her spirits to the fluttering of the birds as the sun brought about a new day.

(She wondered if the enormity of the happenings of the world was something her Draconis dealt with every day. Every scent smelt like it was right in front of her, sounds like they were in her ear, twitches like they were before her eyes.)

This time she doesn’t let the stress and fear overtake her doesn’t let it block out everything except the fight as she lets their power floods through the gates.

Natsu’s the first one to take flight, hovering just above the ground as he marvels his new appendages, poking and spinning as he chases the middle of his back. Lura’s scaled armour manifests next, shielding her from damaging herself as she jumps down off an earthen wall of her own making. Erik’s wings stop him from injuring himself as he dives out of the way of Amanzi’s reflected attack, but it doesn’t make the embarrassed flush on his face disappear.

Amanzi and Saol’s appear simultaneously with Erik’s, snapping out from in between their shoulder blades in a shower of coloured glitter and sparks. Amanzi doesn’t take to the air though, only tucking her wings against her back – the shape fitting seamlessly to her form – and dropping onto her hands like Lura. She turns her attention to Rin, who’s looking a bit sullen – and feeling envious – as she stares at the wings, armour and tail of her siblings-by-circumstance.

But before she can move over there to console her, she takes a deep breath and strides determinately over to her, stopping only a meter away. She doesn’t ask what or why she’s doing this; it feels important.

Rin – no, Aurinko fits better for now – kneels at her feet, one foot flat on the ground and her head bowed in a smooth, but stiff motion. The atmosphere is ceremonial, as Aurinko takes another deep breath and speaks. “I, Aurinko of the Sun Draconis, disciple of Diell of the Sun, ask thee, Lucy Heartfilia, to accept thy as a protector, and as a bonded.” She’s confused, and a little humbled as well; none of the other Draconis have ever needed to stand on ceremony for her, it just kind of, well, happened.

Distantly, fighting sounds grow louder as Deliora, and Reitei and Zalty’s battle inches closer.

Murmurs erupt from the peanut gallery, but she ignores them in favour of reciprocating. “I, Lucy of the Heartfilia Konzern, Mage of Fairy Tail,” and as much as she hates it, she still belongs to the Heartfilia line, so for something like this? She has to put it in there. “accept thee, Aurinko, as my protector, bonded, and friend.”

As soon as the words leave her mouth, Aurinko softly glows orange, and little balls of light lift off her skin, condensing into liquid gold wings that hover behind her back. Once the glow’s died down, she has to take a moment to marvel at the size of them; she easily has the largest wingspan of them all – though Natsu’s were a close second if he doesn’t manifest his tail.

Their moment of peace is interrupted by a glacier getting a little too close for comfort, and Rin and Natsu share a look; wicked grins and sharp teeth gleaming, before zipping over to Reitei. Lura grabs Erik by the ankles and flings him in the direction of Zalty, following close behind, and the rest of them; Saol, Amanzi, Erza, Gray and her, turn to Deliora and charge.

* * *

Time and time again had he faced the consequences of zoning out while doing something – essential or not; something always managed to go wrong. His cousin’s wedding, for instance, many years ago; there were  _ so many  _ **_ chickens _ ** – but had he learned his lesson? No. Of course, he hadn’t.

So, he really shouldn’t have been surprised when Lura grabbed his ankles, or when she flung him towards Zalty. He knew why of course, she wouldn’t be able to affect them with his poison, nor redirect Lura’s earth, but he  _ really _ should’ve paid attention, it would have made this so much  _ easier _ .

He stifled the yelp that’d been startled out of him – though he suspects Lura heard it anyways – as he flies toward his opponent, and readies his magic, feeling it bubble underneath his skin and on his wings.

Zalty hadn’t expected someone to go flying at them, judging by the full-body flinch and surprised hop they do before they readied themselves, a sphere of magic forming in their palm.

Seeing as Zalty doesn’t move out of his flight path – are they stupid or just arrogant? – he tips the bottom of his wings up, flipping him over to a position to slam feet first into their masked face.

(They all seem to have an instinctive understanding of how their new appendages work, regardless of not having even the slightest bit of knowledge about wings)

When he gets close enough to hear their heartbeat over the wind in his ears, close enough that his feet are nary but a hairsbreadth away from their face, the sphere he’d forgotten about in his excitement to kick their teeth in, launches spears at him.

Spears that, with his close proximity, and the extra limbs he has to account for – no matter the instinctive understanding, skill and experience would always prove better – he had no chance of dodging.

* * *

He absolutely  _ loved _ flying. The feeling of the air parting around his wings, the wind through his hair, weightless above the ground - it was freeing. But he didn’t have the time for that; he had an ice mage to pummel, and that was always fun – even if it wasn’t the one he usually fought.

And with Rin by his side – one of the only people he could  _ really _ let loose with – there wasn’t any way they’d lose. Not with their elemental advantage.

He let himself drop a little, and levelled out just above the floor, the tips of his wings and tail brushing the floor with every downbeat. Rin angles herself upwards, shooting up to glide upside down as she hovers above him.

Together they spun, revolving around each other as they twisted into a drill of scorching heat, red fire, and orange sunflames.

** “Synchronicity: Sekhmet’s Annihilation.” **

* * *

In an attempt to not feel  _ useless _ , she pulls Vatra off her lap and makes her way over to Lucy, sheltered behind Amanzi as she reflects another of Deliora’s lasers back at it. Saol is somewhere off to her left, hidden behind an outcrop and amassing a  _ massive _ amount of magic as he prepares what  _ has _ to be one of his Secret Arts – if that’s not just a Natsu thing.

She makes it no more than a few steps before she’s blown off her feet by a shockwave of blistering winds, comparable to the ones from the Sands of Ishgar; Desierto. They both flinch as the second wave hits them, fine shards of ice and stone aggravating their wounds and slicing the reddened skin the heatwave had left them.

Beside her, Gray makes a face as he spots Natsu and Rin come tumbling out from the crater they’d left Lyon in – surrounded by scorched stone and puddles of water that might’ve been ice once – one arm looped around each other’s shoulders as they giggle to themselves.

It’d been quite a few years since she’d seen an Ethernano Drunk mage, but not enough that she doesn’t recognize the effects as soon as she sees the pair. From somewhere behind her, Wendy sighs and calls out to Mesec to bring them over to her, exasperation dripping off her tone.

Unfortunately for Natsu, there’s no way to get rid of it other than to wait it out, so she can feel the dark satisfaction rolling off Gray in waves at the thought of all the blackmail he could collect. Abruptly, he realizes whose company he’s in, and he quickly shoves the emotion down into the darkest recesses of his mind.

She’s not as stupid as they think she is; she knows they have this weird rivalry/best-friend-but-won’t-admit-it thing going on, and only pretend to be buddy-buddy. And usually, the thought of that slight to her character would make her hit them over the head with a war-hammer, but she can’t muster the energy and lets it be.

Eventually, they get up and make their way over to Lucy and the rest of her spirits; Saol and Amanzi, where they’re distracting Deliora from breaking out of the glacier Lyon had left it in.

It’s just as they reach the three when the demon shatters the ice, making yet another series of tiny cuts across their skin. But, compared to the rest of their injuries – including, but not limited to, a hole in Gray’s side, a gash going across his chest, possibly broken ribs for the both of them – minuscule gashes speckling their skin isn’t much of a priority.

Lucy barely spares them a glance when they stop beside her before diving away from a laser and going back to barraging it with hundreds of balls of magic. Which is weird. Magic isn’t supposed to be able to do that. But she’s doing it anyway, so she figures she shouldn’t worry about it.

Just behind her, she can hear the tell-tale crackling of Gray’s ice as it gathers in his palms, but he doesn’t make anything just yet. She does the same, delving into her memories to peruse her collection of armours. One, in particular, reveals itself to her, an armour she’d not long ago acquired; her Morning Star Armour, just as a cannon goes off behind her, launching a cluster of spiked balls at the demon.

When the twin swords appear in her hands, she points them towards the – in her opinion, butt-ugly – face of Deliora. “Morning Star: Photon Slicer.” Her swords shake briefly as her magic surges through them, but she doesn’t allow her aim to waver and fires the blindingly bright yellow energy blast. The blue lightning that sparks off of it as it flies blackens the dark blue hide the demon sports, even as one of its scaled hands sweep in front of it to bat the offending attack away.

As the blast impacts the wall to her left, shaking the cavern, Lucy cups her hands together, building up another ball of magic, this one many times bigger than the ones she was barraging the demon with earlier. Speaking softly enough that she has to strain her ears and take a step closer to hear her, she whispers into the dimly pulsing ball of magic, “Nature’s Rage.”

Abruptly, the magic shrinks, bleeding an unearthly forest green from above her hands, overtaking the silver like a container filling. Lucy pulls her hands apart, the magic splitting until she has hundreds, no  _ thousands _ of green pinpricks hovering around her.

But before the attack can launch itself at Deliora, the tattoos that were glowing underneath the black long-sleeved undershirt retreat back to her shoulders, some splitting off to curl around her waist and spine.

The tail that forms is long and whip-like, primarily silver, but with patches coloured in red, orange, green, dark blue, purple, and brown, representing the bond with her spirits. There’s a wide, fin-like end on it, and the gold and silver scales are slightly raised and serrated, possibly sharp enough to shear layers of steel, to say nothing about skin.

Compared to Natsu’s, which is more traditionally shaped, Lucy’s comes from way out from o]uileft field, and putting them side by side, one would think hers was from a demonic species, not draconic.

She’d always found it curious that while her spirits’ wings, tail, and armour was quite transparent, Lucy’s had formed completely solid, and she was a great deal faster than the others. Her speed would only grow with the addition of her tail, as well as whatever other Draconis she contracted with.

Once the new appendages were settled and fully formed, Lucy kicked off the ground in a plume of dust, and plunged her tail into the cloud of green dots, rocketing them into various places on Deliora’s face and chest.

The demon, reeling from the thousands of holes Lucy had rendered in its hide, reflexively fires off a beam of magic, heading straight for the group by the wall; Wendy, Mesec, Natsu, Rin, and,  _ Vatra… _

**Author's Note:**

> Remember to leave a Kudos or a Comment if you like it! They motivate me to write more and post earlier!


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